Hearts Change
by Twill
Summary: Ryou has a second chance. His yami is no longer mean and seems to be opening up to his hikari. Then Ryou has a strange dream, one connecting him to Egypt and the Shadow Games. They may be awakening again. What lies in store as darkness corrupts light? R
1. True Persona: The Past Awakens

Twill: Hey! I had this really neat idea come to me while I was falling asleep one night. I thought it would make a good fic so I started writing. I won't bore you with details though. Enjoy!  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does when really she doesn't.  
  
/blah/ = hikari thoughts  
  
//blah// = yami thoughts  
  
~blah~ = other thoughts  
  
Yaoi between Ryou and Bakura in later chapters...implied for now  
  
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True Persona: The Past Awakens  
  
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I flipped through my deck, card by card, looking over each one as it came. It had been awhile since I'd used any of them in an actual duel. The game of duel monsters was slowly beginning to fade. I guess it was only a passing fad after all. Of course there were still those groups that took it seriously, my closest friends being a prime example. Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Tea all still enjoyed playing the game or watching, as he case may be. Me, I just went along with the majority, often watching as well. I can't deny I feel an attraction towards it myself. I do posses a Millennium Item, the Millennium Ring. Both my ring and the game came from Egypt and I guess they're drawn together. The ring also holds my yami, Bakura, the darker part to my soul, a darker me. I'm his hikari, the light of our combined soul. My name's Ryou, just for the record. You should know who everyone is if you want to understand what happened that changed my life forever.  
  
As I said before I was flipping through my deck carefully, reading the information on each card as I passed it. Morphing Jar, Man-eater Bug, Electric Lizard. They didn't really fit any pattern; just cards I thought were interesting. I picked most of them because no one else seemed to use them. I felt they should be recognized for their talents, they too were important to the game. It sounds strange but I think they were glad I used them, glad they had a purpose. There's that link again. Bakura probably felt the same way. Most duelists treasure their cards, but not really as friends. Just tools. Yugi says it's the heart of the cards I feel. He, Joey and some others are the same way. Just Desserts, White Magical Hat and Lady of Faith slipped by. I smiled at each, I couldn't help it. Chain Energy and several others faded to the bottom of the pile after I paid my respects to them. Finally I reached my absolute favorite. Change Of Heart. I guess I liked the idea of a card that could displace the moral compass of another monster. It's picture was split in half, one side light and angelic with a feathery wind protruding from the back of the smiling persona. The other was shrouded in shadow, a large leathery demon wing extending to balance the other side. Not many used it as far as I knew. Who knew why?  
  
"It has the reputation of being a traitor." I jumped and whirled to spot Bakura sitting at my desk watching me. He had once been very abusive and angry. Not particularly with me but with life in general. I just happened to be the one he took it out on, being called a weakling and routine beatings for little or no provocation. Needless to say I wasn't exactly used to him being so benign. My look of shock (and possible terror) must have offended him. He flinched and looked away. "Sorry." That was a first. My yami never apologized to me before or anyone else. It snapped me from my panic.  
  
"No, don't be. I'm still not used to your change of heart." I offered a wry smile as the pun sunk in. He shot me a look that clearly said 'very funny'. "How is the card a traitor?" He smiled faintly and moved over to perch at the foot of my bed, which I was currently sitting on. I shifted a bit closer, wanting to hear the story clearly. I hadn't realized I'd kept going until I found myself close to him. Very close. I blushed at bit and moved back.  
  
"Well aibou," the name sent a small shiver down my back; he'd never really called me that before, "that card can cause a lot of trouble. The Change Of Heart, being half darkness, has been known to act on its own interests. In play it can turn against you, if the odds favor it. I guess you proved that when you possessed the Lady of Faith." I squirmed a bit when he mentioned that. Because of me he was banished to the Shadow Realm, a trip that was most unpleasant I'm sure. "Back in ancient Egypt, I was the only one willing to take the risk of using her in the Shadow Games. In the end, it was my downfall." There was an edge to his voice, a note of sadness. He must miss his past life, even if branded a tomb raider. My curiosity won over my concern of the moment.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I was dueling the Pharaoh in our final match. If he won, I was to be sealed away within the ring and serve millennia's of torment. If I won, the Shadow Game would remain and he would surrender his kingdom to me."  
  
"High stakes."  
  
He nodded silently, obviously remembering exactly what happened. "Yes, quite high. We were evenly matched for awhile, our duel going along the same lines as my battle against Yami. I managed to gain a slight lead. My trump monster, the one I figured would win it all, was the Change Of Heart." We both said the card's name in unison, although my voice came out in no more than a whisper. "It result was one neither of us expected. The Change Of Heart took control of one of my monsters and then attacked me head on. I lost and was soon sealed away in the ring." I looked down at the gold trinket hanging from a cord around my neck. Hard to believe something so innocent seeming was a powerful key to duel monsters and contained an ancient spirit. The two of us sat in silence for awhile, me staring at the card in my hand and Bakura I guess staring blankly into space. He must have still been wrapped up in the memory. I glanced idly at the clock I keep by my bedside. It read 10:30.  
  
"I should get some sleep, school tomorrow and all." I said it a little harsher than I'd intended. It sounded like I was blowing him off. I cringed to myself and tried to correct the mistake. "I enjoyed the story, thanks for telling me." Bakura offered another slight smile.  
  
"Good night Ryou, sleep well." He tucked me in and placed a small kiss on my forehead before vanishing into his soul room. I was left tingling all over, unsure of why he was being so nice. Something else nagged at me but I couldn't bring it to surface so I just ignored it.  
  
/Yami?/ I tapped into the mind link I shared with him. He gave a mental start but quickly blocked me from sensing his emotions.  
  
//What?// He was back to being cold and distant, snapping angrily. I took a deep breath, turning to face the wall before plowing ahead.  
  
/Could you tell me another story?/ I felt like I was three years old, asking my mother to read to me before bed. But surprisingly he agreed. I fell asleep listening to a story of betrayal and unlikely friendship.  
  
And then I had the dream  
  
The sun was blazing down harshly, a sweltering source of heat. I walked for what seemed like an eternity before stumbling upon an oasis. I wasn't the only one there. Two others stood on the other side, talking in hushed voices. Before I could even think about it, my feet carried me closer towards their low tones. Just as I was about to find out who was here with me, the world went black. We were in the Shadow Realm. I'd recognize the drear and sinister local even if I was blind. There was a feeling of oppression that seemed to suck away your energy. Even as I stood there in confusion I could feel myself growing weaker. As a hikari my soul and body was never meant to stand up to the shadow powers involved with this dark realm. Of course, the Shadow Realm also has no scenery. I was now out in the open. Strangely I went unnoticed by the two. I still couldn't make out who they were. Both were shrouded by the black mists and hoods they both wore. It was a stand off, me a bystander.  
  
"Are you sure we cannot settle another way?" The figure on my left spoke first. The voice was masculine and he seemed quite well off judging by the refinery of his clothing.  
  
"Quite, now play the game." The second was also male, although he looked shabby in comparison. The voices of both seemed very familiar. Regretfully I could decipher their identities though, my mind just wasn't working. I blame it on the fact I was dreaming.  
  
"Be sensible Bakura. Please just submit your item and we can return to how things were. We can be friends again." I did a double take. Bakura?! He was the last person I suspected to be here. Now it made sense why he was so poorly attired. My yami was a grave thief after all, although I don't believe he's proud of the fact. Who would be?  
  
"Are you so worried that I will beat you that you lower yourself to meager begging? I thought the almighty Pharaoh would have been too good for that." There was the identity of the other. Yami, it figured. He would have been the one to challenge Bakura for his item. It was news to me that they had been friends. I wondered, other than my yami being trapped in the ring for thousands of years, what had happened to break them apart. I had little time to dwell on this thought, however. The game was about to begin. "You, great ruler of Egypt, may have the first move."  
  
They both began summoning monsters and magic; lying traps and spells to mislay the opponent or power their defenses. The order of cards played was remarkable similar to that of the shadow game they played in present times. Yami summoned a solider that looked quite alike to the Cyber Commander. Bakura countered with his White Magical Hat or something close enough to it. Play continued onwards. I flinched when Yami was subjected to a play along the lines of Just Desserts. His hood was blown from covering his face and I could see just how painful the attack had been. When these two had dueled during the duelist kingdom, I hadn't been present for most of the fight. I had a general sense of what was happening but nothing as vivid as this. I felt physically sick to my stomach. I never liked the idea of someone hurting anyone. That's one of the reasons I never fought back when Bakura had been beating me. I never ever wanted to cause anyone pain intentionally or otherwise, even if it was in self defense. Bakura pulled back his cloak and I could see the self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips. He was so cold.  
  
Play continued monster by monster. Everything was happening almost exactly the same as the shadow duel I had been a part of. I realized belatedly that this was the same as the story Bakura had told me earlier. Every move made, I knew before they did. I probably felt the same way Pegasus had whenever he used his Millennium Eye. The knowledge I knew their actions before they did gave me a sense of power like none I'd ever felt before. It scared me. It must have been the feeling Bakura wanted, since he had been hell bent on collecting all seven items. Finally the time came for the supposed finishing move. Yami had assembled the Cyber Commander, Magician of Fate, Flame Swordsmen and Dark Magician on his side. It was Bakura's turn. He called forth the Lady of Faith and smiled triumphantly at his adversary.  
  
"I have won Pharaoh. Your kingdom is mine now, old friend. The Shadow Games shall remain, and I will be the new game king." I could barely watch what was to happen next.  
  
He summoned his trump; the monster he told me had been thought to be the one to win it all. But things were never to go as planned. The Change Of Heart appeared, angelic and demonic combined into majestic beauty. Seeing my favorite in person, in a reality few could imagine, stole my breath away. I knew the aim was to control Yami's Dark Magician. I knew Bakura placed all his trust and hope within this monster. I knew that in one fell moment, it would turn on its master and assure victory for the other side. A sorrow filled me unexpectedly. I didn't want my yami to lose. I wanted his dreams and ambitions to be realized. Why was I feeling so strongly for him? The something happened that I'm sure no one expected. The Change Of Heart turned in midair and looked directly at me. Straight into my eyes.  
  
I won't lie and say I wasn't afraid. No, I was terrified. This was the sort of thing that happened in scary movies or nightmares that send you into a cold sweat with chills running down your spine. That's exactly what happened with me. I would have run or at least turned around but my body wasn't responding to any of the panic signals my mind was shooting through it. Don't you just hate it when that happens? The Change Of Heart continued to look at me, listless eyes and neutral expression. The look was creeping me out and yet I couldn't look away. I vaguely remember Bakura yelling at his summoned monster to possess the Dark Magician but I wasn't really paying attention to anything else. I was riveted to the spot, my eyes unable to leave those of the duel card. They seemed empty and yet full of emotion. On the side of light there seemed to be a twinkle of innocence and joy. In the demonic half a glint of malice and...desire? They were hypnotic and I couldn't tear away. The distance between me and the summoned monster began to disappear. She kept her gaze locked on mine and I remained paralyzed where I stood. Bakura, in the background, was losing his control. Through my link with him, even though it was before my time in this dream, I could feel him teeter on the brink of rage and desperation. He was risking everything on this game and the sole piece that could win it all wasn't obeying his commands. I guess these feelings snapped me from the trance in which I was held. I was aware of my surroundings, aware that Yami was trying to subdue Bakura who was beginning to crack. Change Of Heart reached out her hand towards me, drifting ever closer. And then she reached me.  
  
It was an experience like none I've ever felt before. When her hand touched my cheek I exploded in pain. Every nerve was enflamed with agony. Even through the torture I could see Bakura was feeling what I was. He was out cold in Yami's arms, jerking every so often from the pain. That hurt me far worse then what my body was going through. I was also aware of the Change Of Heart. Acutely aware. She was, well, melding with me. As her reach deepened, she disappeared. Of course all this was happening patronizingly slowly and thus magnified the anguish. Maybe she read my thoughts because in one fell swoop, I became one with my favorite card. If I thought I was in pain before, it was nothing compared to what happened next.  
  
There was a faint prickling in my back, about where my shoulder blades were. The intensity grew so it became something more like knives. Something ripped out through my back and clothing. It was excruciating to go through to say the least. When the throbbing subsided I turned my head around to see what happened. I was met with probably the last thing I expected. Wings. Two hulking wings. One was shining white and covered in satiny feathers. It was that of an angel. The other was dark ebony black and looked rough and leathery. A demon's wing. I gasped in shock and began to look over the rest of me. My hair was slightly longer and not simple silvery white anymore. One half was pure cotton white and the other was a charcoal hue. Even my skin was different. One hand was my normal pale complexion albeit a bit lighter and the other was a dusky color, grey going on black. I stood there, the true personification of the Change Of Heart.  
  
Bakura had recovered and now stood back in his place with Yami across from them. By the way they looked upon the battle field it was if none of this had happened for them. But I had seen my yami on the floor writhing in pain...hadn't I? Nothing made sense anymore, even for a dream I was at a loss. Maybe I was dreaming within the dream. But then why did I have wings?  
  
"Go Change Of Heart, take control of the Dark Magician." Bakura's cold voice rang harshly through my ears. He waited with a gaze of cold steel pinned on that of the Pharaoh who looked anxiously on. Had they meant me? I was about to protest and explain but found I couldn't. It seemed I had no control of my movements. Then a soothing voice that seemed both mellow and violent filled my mind.  
  
~Strike now the crippling blow to the one who summoned us. Seal his fate within the darkness child. Take your revenge~  
  
And then I woke up.  
  
I must have screamed at some point because the first thing my cloudy vision could define was the worried gaze of my yami, Bakura. I whimpered and shied away from him, still lost in my dream. My body ached with the residual pain from the nightmare. I almost felt as though it had really happened. Blearily I turned to see if I had wings protruding from beneath my pajama top. I didn't, thankfully. I sighed with relief feeling assured it had been nothing more than a nighttime figment of my imagination. That is until my eyes rested on something nestled among the sheets.  
  
Three shimmering white feathers.  
  
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Twill: Well, what do you think? Should I continue? Voice your opinions, I want to hear 'em! Also, vote for who's POV I should do next. You want Ryou, Bakura, Yami, Yugi...someone else? Let me know ^___^ and as always R&R!! 


	2. Woven Story: Through the Pages of the Mi...

Twill: Wow, I got some great reviews! I didn't think this would hit off as well as it did. THANK YOU ALL!!! Sorry my update took so long but life tends to jump on your back at the worst times. This chapter's in Bakura's POV, you all voted for it. I have another chapter all set up too!  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does but she really doesn't  
  
/blah/ = hikari thoughts  
  
//blah// = yami thoughts  
  
~blah~ = other thoughts  
  
Yaoi between Ryou and Bakura in later chapters...implied for now  
  
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Woven Story: Through the Pages of the Mind  
  
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I shifted uneasily in my soul room. A general sense of restlessness hung in the air, pressing me down like dead weight. The hieroglyphics and Egyptian artifacts that littered the place seemed like so much useless junk. There was a feeling of worry and dread hanging about me. I felt as though something was about to happen. Something big.  
  
It was now almost a year since I'd cleaned up my act, stopped being such a pig-headed jerk. Ryou, my hikari, was certainly better off from my change. I used to beat him mercilessly and it seemed I did it all the time. My memory of the years since Ryou received the ring to the end of its pain from it was hazy. Rage had been so much a part of my actions that it distorted the way I saw things back then. I can't be sure of what was real and what I wanted and thought to be true. All I know for certain is I caused my light pain in my quest to gain the seven Millennium Items. And still he forgave me. I dared to call him cowardly and weak yet he has more courage than anyone could ever know. It takes a great deal of strength to stare fear in the face and never back down from your convictions. He never fought back and never ran away. It takes audacity to face the strife he did and not be driven to run in terror and hide. There were several instances where help could have been asked for. The words never formed in his mind let alone made their way to pass his lips. There must have been some good in me that only Ryou could see. He was proved right too.  
  
One lonely evening in the empty house (his father was often away on digs and other work trips) I had emerged from the ring with a black hatred. I was determined to make sure Ryou would barely survive the night. The stair made no sounds as I silently crept upwards. I opened the door to his room and walked purposefully towards the desk at which he sat. He was working away at some school assignment, humming a cheerful tune to himself. My hikari was blissfully unaware that I had separated and now stood behind him with malice. I paused a moment, just watching him happily writing out his homework. Even now I'm not sure why I stopped to look at him. But gods he was precious. Innocence stained his every manner, as if the world had no evil in it. Hi duel monsters deck was sitting next to the lamp on the desk top. He must have put it there for inspiration. There was one card face up.  
  
The Change Of Heart.  
  
My whole world transformed in that instant. Memories that had been locked away by my ring now came flooding back. My final duel, friendships, love but most clearly and vibrant were those of my childhood. I had been like Ryou at one point in my past. My family.they had inflicted the same sorts of injustice that I had been on my light.  
  
"Weakling! You shouldn't have been born!"  
  
"Why did you turn out such a freak! Just look at you, pale skin and white hair. The Pharaoh will most certainly look down upon us because of you!"  
  
Their voices rang clear in my mind then. I flinched as my head swam unpleasantly with the shouts and screams of my father and another relative, my uncle I guessed. Ryou, still joyfully working away, reminded me of me so strongly. I let out a choked sob and he swiveled around to see where the noise came from. Our eyes met and he froze, a look of pure panic washing over his angelic features. But neither of us really expected my actions then.  
  
I kneeled down in front of him and latched myself around his waist. Tears were falling freely, slowly dampening his shirt. Ryou just sat there rigidly in complete shock. Not only had his yami failed to punch the daylights out of him but now he was crying. The emotionless cold Bakura actually had feelings. It was laughable. I really expected him to laugh in my face and shove me back in disgust or confusion.  
  
He never did.  
  
Instead he firmly hugged me back giving comfort in his acceptance. Somewhere through my tears I sobbed out an apology and begged for forgiveness. He gave it to me in an instant. His homework lay forgotten as I consumed the rest of the night with my tears.  
  
Now here I was, shifting within my soul room, listening to the unchecked thoughts drifting through our link. He was flipping through the cards in his deck. I almost smiled at the innocence present even in his thoughts. Each card seemed precious to him and Ryou didn't even comprehend why. Well, he did but it was in such a way that seemed as though he didn't at first glance. Or thought as it were. I waited patiently until our favorite card emerged. The one which seemed to change my life and his. The Change Of Heart. I emerged from the ring quietly, giving no inclination that I had done so. Ryou was wondering why no one used it.  
  
"It has the reputation of being a traitor." He started and twisted rapidly around to see where the reply to his unspoken question came from. His eyes came to rest on me. The look of pure terror and fear that settled on his face reminded me painfully of what I had done. I shouldn't even be out; he probably thought I was going to hurt him. I flinched subtly and looked away. "Sorry." The word left my mouth before I even thought about it. I've never apologized to anyone since I became a thief. Well, no one aside from Malik but he was a friend in a time of betrayal. He had been the only one I trusted. Strangely though, showing remorse to my hikari didn't seem so bad. I absently stared at the wall, debating whether I should return to the ring.  
  
"No, don't be. I'm still not used to your change of heart." That was low. I was surprised my light could even make bad puns. He smiled wryly and I gave him a look that conveyed my feelings on that. "How is the card a traitor?" It was amazing how much bravery Ryou had gained. Never before had he dared speak before being spoken to. I needed a distraction from that past; it was plaguing my mind far too much. I gave him a wane smile and moved over to the foot of his bed, preparing to tell the tale. Subconsciously he scooted closer until was practically in my lap. Why did that feel so right?  
  
"Well aibou," again the word just slid off my tongue before I could really think although Ryou seemed to enjoy it, "that card can cause a lot of trouble." I launched into the story behind the monster, reliving my past in the process. I told him of my final duel, the one which landed me sealed within the ring. I could see the Pharaoh, his pained expression forever branded into my mind. We had once been friends, the game king and I. But that had changed and we became adversaries. I blame him. Although even now I miss the close companionship we shared. My voice became strained and I had to concentrate on keeping my emotions in check. Only weaklings show emotion to others. Never give anyone anything to use against you. I lapsed into silence, lost in the rigors of the memory. Ryou broke the recollection.  
  
"I should get some sleep, school tomorrow and all." He sounded so removed. Ryou probably found the ramblings of a spirit boring anyhow. I guess I couldn't blame him. I gave him another small smile before gently tucking him in and said goodnight. It really was late. Some guardian I am. My soul room solidified around me as I submerged myself once more it its depths.  
  
Why was I acting so nice to him? I know I had changed from my spiteful ways but this was a bit far.wasn't it? I was reeling from all the conflicting emotions swimming around within my soul. I sunk heavily into a chair and hoped I could figure out why I felt this way.  
  
/Yami?/ Ryou tapped into the mind link we share. It startled me from my revere. My instincts kicked in while my mind was still recovering from surprise. Of course that meant I snapped coldly at him and blocked off all signals he might receive from my end. I didn't want to talk to him, not without being sure of how I saw him. He was just my hikari, the lighter half I was supposed to protect from the world. At least, that's what I had believed until now. Again my aibou stunned me. Instead of cowering back into submission like he would of before, my light still approached with his question. A simple request really. Another story. I couldn't believe he wanted to listen to me prattle on again. But who was I to disagree? My troubles were left forgotten as the memories came flooding back.  
  
I had been a thief for many years and I was one of the best. I could plunder any tomb without setting of any traps or getting caught afterwards. Through my travels I met another fellow raider. Malik. He and I hit it off from the start, always seeing things eye to eye. We never fought much but those times we did were over petty things, nothing to ruin a friendship. Then my path crossed with him, the Pharaoh.  
  
It was one a dare, actually. Malik challenged me to steal something from the Pharaoh's bedroom, anything. If I won he'd help me rob any tomb and I'd keep the entire haul. If I lost, he'd keep the entire treasure. It was certainly interesting and I was never one to back down from a challenge. So late one afternoon, when I was certain our ruler would be out tending to his kingdom, I made my approach. The so called 'elite' guards were supremely easy to sneak passed. A simple diversion and they were all off chasing a pebble that made a noise just inside the courtyard. Laughable really. Getting into the room without being caught was another matter. I had to stay on my toes and never stop moving upon entrance. It was pure luck that I found a shawl to cover my identity. To the palace staff, I was just another slave worker. I managed to get to the door undetected. So far so good. There were no traditional body guards in place either, strange. With a quick twist of my lock picks, the door swung open soundlessly. I slipped in and shut it just as quietly and surveyed my options. There were numerous trinkets and bobbles to choose from, each finely crafted and most made from gold. I made my way to the bedside table to select the object I needed. A simple gold pendant, crafted to resemble a pyramid. My fingers never made it that far.  
  
Another hand launched from the darkness and clasped around my wrist, stopping it cold. In my eager haste I had failed to notice the silhouette perched upon the edge of the bed. The Pharaoh hadn't been absent like I thought. He gazed at me with piercing crimson eyes. "What are you doing here?" It was a simple question, not a harsh demand. I had always pegged Yami as a cold leader who had no compassion for those around him. However, his soft tone and questioning eyes spoke far more of his true nature.  
  
"I...I..." and my stuttering shattered the air of confidence I'd had only moments before. This was no way for one of the best thieves to behave. Yami continued to watch me, waiting patiently for an answer. Why he hadn't called guards was beyond my comprehension, especially at the time. I suppose it marked the beginning.the trust.  
  
"Who are you?" I guess my failure to answer the first inquiry resulted in a change of tactics. By this time I decided that I had nothing to lose by admitting the reason for my 'visit' or by revealing my name.  
  
And still I still lied.  
  
"I am but a lowly servant, lord Pharaoh. I came to tidy your chamber during your expected leave of absence." Okay, so that was laying it on a little thick but my tone of voice and uneasy manner was very convincing. How else had I managed to sneak up to his room in the first place? The disguise was only part of it, my skills in deception ranked high in this scheme.  
  
"Do you ever tell the truth?" Shot down. I just about threw a punch at him then and there but his soft, non-challenging mannerisms gave me a sense of control and superiority. My ego thought better of brash reactions since it still felt important. I settled for a traditional glare. "I'm Yami," he simply said and extended a hand. As if I didn't know the name of the Pharaoh of Egypt!  
  
"Bakura," I muttered before my defenses could kick in. We clasped hands in a sloppy formal gesture before settling back. Silence rang deafeningly for a few moments. What do you say to royalty after being caught trying to steal from them? I was wondering just that when he spoke up.  
  
"Why exactly are you here? Was it just to rob me?" Yami pointed to the pyramid necklace I'd been reaching for. I shrugged and offered no comment against it. "I see, dared or are your eyes bigger than your stomach?" My glare resumed, there was his answer however he wanted to interpret it. "A dare then." How, blast him, did he know all these things! Of course I was to learn later, but then I was baffled. "How did you get in?"  
  
"Your guards are quite easy to sneak passed, Pharaoh. It was child's play."  
  
"...could you take me out?" The question caught me so completely off guard that I just stood there staring at him.  
  
"Why? Don't you have everything?" I couldn't help the sneer that crept into my tone. I had been raised as nothing more than a low class commoner, practically a slave. My family had nothing. Of course that didn't stop them from...it didn't matter. Because we, I, was poor I took to thievery. But that's already been said.  
  
"Everything except freedom and the ability to act as any other of my age." True, upon closer inspection he was probably no older than I was. A teen forced into ruling against his will. Right then and there I decided to help Yami. I gave him the disguise and managed to find another one for myself. We carefully stepped out into the corridor and began the trek outside. Again, his supposedly superior security didn't catch onto us. Hey, I wasn't complaining. Once we were out of sight of the royal palace, the hoods were removed and Yami looked at the world through the eyes of a youth, not a Pharaoh. The spirit that shone in his eyes was amazing. He turned to me. "Thank you Bakura, I can never repay you for this, even if it is my only chance at fun."  
  
"Who's the friend and what's this talk about fun?" We both jumped a bit and whirled to face Malik who looked at us in confusion tinted with slight smugness. Before I could actually answer he continued. "Looks like you lost the bet, so when should we go to get *my* treasure eh?" He's one for secrecy.  
  
"Well Malik, meet Pharaoh Yami, ruler of Egypt." His face was now dragging on the floor, his jaw having pulled it along. "He was in his chamber and I've brought him out. I've won." Ha! Take that my friend. Yami just looked at our discussion patiently, fingering the puzzle that was now around his neck. When did he put that one anyway?  
  
"Say, Yami, what exactly is that?" And Malik beat me to the punch, I hate it when he does that.  
  
"Oh, this is...nothing important."  
  
"You aren't cut out for lying Pharaoh."  
  
"Well, it's the Millennium Puzzle." Both of us practically fell over in shock! He had an item for Shadow Dueling! Of course we both wanted it now. "Please don't look at my as if I'm lunch."  
  
That was the fated meeting of a thief and a Pharaoh. The three of us grew closer as the years went on. Yami continued to sneak out of the palace and we would meet in a nearby oasis. But then he betrayed that friendship.  
  
Malik had managed to break into the chamber which held the Millennium items. He stole two of them before needing to leave before getting caught. He kept one and gave the other to me on my birthday. That's how I received the ring. His was the rod. We concealed our new powers from everyone, challenging some to shadow games and taking their memories of them so they couldn't tell anyone else. A search was conducted to recover the lost items but it was unsuccessful. We still met Yami at the oasis whenever he could sneak out but we hid our secret from him too. He was behind the search. At one point I felt we should tell him since the three of us had become close friends. Malik disagreed and he was right. We never should have to Yami. He was more the Pharaoh now, the duties and responsibilities weighing heavily on his judgment.  
  
Malik was taken away and no doubt tortured deep in the dungeons of the palace. I somehow escaped. The gods know why I was. I plotted and bided my time, winning more shadow duels and increasing my powers. I was then ready to face him.  
  
My narrative faded as I discovered Ryou had long since faded into slumber. I probably bored him to sleep.  
  
~Strike now the crippling blow to the one who summoned us. Seal his fate within the darkness child. Take your revenge~  
  
Ryou jolted awake screaming. I was shocked out of the ring and into my substantial form. He immediately shrank away from me. Probably had a nightmare about how I used to treat him, damn it! But why was he staring with a strange fixation at his sheets? I looked for myself and spotted something quite strange.  
  
Three shimmering white feathers.  
  
---  
  
Twill: Well there you go Bakura's thoughts on everything. You now know why he's changed and a little more about Ryou's dream. The next chapter's already started but I'll get a big boost of writing power if I get a lot of reviews! R&R!! 


	3. Decent: The Seal is Broken

Twill: I'm back and wow, I've gotten a lot of reviews! Thanks a bunch everyone, I'm really glad you all like this fic. Sorry for the long wait but I think this is worth it! Enjoy  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does but she really doesn't  
  
/blah/ = hikari thoughts  
  
//blah// = yami thoughts  
  
~blah~ = other thoughts  
  
Yaoi between Ryou and Bakura in later chapters...implied for now  
  
---  
  
Decent: the Seal is Broken  
  
---  
  
I immediately clutched my yami, turning away from the feathers. What was going on? How could a dream turn real if even part way? I needed comfort, reassurance and the only one who could give that to me was Bakura. Any past doubts or hiding fears of what he had done and could still do were blown away in the winds of my panic. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me carefully into a loose embrace. One hand gently rubbed my back while I shivered subconsciously. I knew my fear must be leaking through our mental link but I was too shaken to care. Too afraid to feel anything but fear.  
  
"Aibou, what happened?" I was glad at least he didn't ask me if I was alright. I numbly nodded as though he had, however, because I was still in shock. Somehow, I believe, my dream came through to him for he stopped rubbing briefly and then continued. A pause, even a brief one, is enough to signal shock or recognition. I tried to look into his eyes but my position prevented me from turning around. Oh well, this was very comfortable...I yawned and blinked. "I think you should go back to sleep, school tomorrow and all." That hurt me deeply. He sounded so indifferent. I guess once a tomb robber always a tomb robber.  
  
"Fine." I didn't want to go back to sleep. I couldn't risk going into that dream again, seeing the pain and shattered hope. I didn't want my yami to lose again.  
  
Bakura gently lowered me back beneath the soft sheets and pulled up my comforter. It was a nice shade of blue, one that reminded me of the ocean. I yawned again. My yami swiftly removed the three feathers, placing them in an empty pencil holder on my desk. He did it so quickly I almost missed it. Of course my eyes were sliding in and out of focus at the same time. A small twinge of pain arced through my body reminding me once again of the nightmare. How come it felt so real? I whimpered quietly and turned to face the wall. Bakura's hand found its way to my back again and started rubbing small circles.  
  
"Hush little one, let go of your senses and sleep." His voice sounded so far away and his touch was so light. I smiled and yawned once more before slipping into a dreamless sleep.  
  
DEET! DEET! DEET! DEET!  
  
"Mmmrrrrnnnnnnggg?" My eyes didn't want to open; I was too comfortable where I was. Something was behind me and partially wrapped around my waist. It was very warm and I felt safe in its grasp. I wanted nothing more than to fade back into the realm of dreams but my alarm persisted with its awful beeping. Whatever held me shifted and the noise stopped. Wait...it moved? The realization that Bakura had slept with me through the remainder of the night jolted me awake. No wonder I was so warm. And...it felt right. "Bakura...?"  
  
"Morning aibou, sleep well?" I could feel him stretch against me and the feeling sent small shivers down my spine. He replaces his hand around my waist which made me blush. Just what was he doing?  
  
"Only because of you." I just managed to squeak that out before I feared my voice would betray my blush. I almost snuggled down further but I didn't know why I wanted to. That and I also remembered I had to get ready for school. Groaning silently at having to leave such a cozy position I sat up and stretched. I could've sworn I felt eyes on me when I did so but upon looking down Bakura was staring up at the ceiling. He then rolled off the bed thus getting up. With a quick wink my yami returned to his soul room in the ring. This left me feeling quite confused. What had that meant? The clock read 7:45 as I passed contemplating what everything meant.  
  
//I believe you're running late aibou// Huh? Oh no I was! Dashing through the house I managed to make it out wearing all appropriate clothing, carrying all proper books (with homework included) and munching a piece of bread. It would have been toast but there wasn't any time. I flew down the sidewalk and somehow managed to make it into the building as the bell rang. I'm glad I could run fast, my feet must have wings.  
  
"Good morning class." My teacher began her usual lecture about some topic that no one was really interested in. I took notes in case of a future quiz and because I was a good student. Joey was already nodding off in his seat and Tristan looked like he would soon follow along with most of the class. Yugi was flipping through his deck, Tea was daydreaming about something and Malik was gazing out the window. Seto Kaiba had actually joined class today although he was already typing frantically on a laptop. I smiled to myself and continued jotting down bits of information. It was nice to have so many friends. "But then..." she launched into some obscure detail that I knew she had picked up from a magazine. I set down my pencil and re-read what I had written.  
  
~Hasten away to other lands and see what lies for the future~  
  
A sudden wave of fatigue swept over my senses. /Must be the/ yawn /teacher/. I rubbed my eyes trying to clear some of the sleepiness from them. It wasn't working. My head drooped closer and closer to the desk top. It looked so nice and flat. I was dimly aware of my yami trying to wake me up but he was too far away and the desk was so close.  
  
Goodnight.  
  
The world around me was so very dark. I couldn't see anything within the blanket of inky blackness. The air was cold and oppressive; it tugged at me as if trying to take something from me. Of course it was.  
  
I had entered the shadow realm once more. The dream felt sickeningly real as it had when I witnessed Bakura's final duel. My soul felt heavy and burdened as if I carried some terrible sin. Shivering, I desperately hoped I wouldn't see my yami or his pain again. I didn't think I could bear it again. Never again...  
  
~Step further child and see what lies within. The truth shall be uncovered by your light...for as long as it shall last~  
  
Where was that voice coming from? It almost felt like it came from my mind but also seemed to echo into the nothingness. I wanted to go home but I couldn't until I woke up...if I woke up. With no other choice I uneasily took a step forward. Then another. And yet another. My pace quickened and soon became running. If I found whatever I was supposed to quickly, then I could go home. Or so I wanted to believe.  
  
I could see vague images out of the corners of my eyes. Shapes materialized and vanished within my vision, the realm a continuous shadow. What was I looking for and where did it lie? I wanted, needed, answers but none ever came. Always poor Ryou was left in the dark. This time literally. Something reached out from the ground and I was suddenly falling.  
  
But I didn't hit the ground.  
  
I could feel the air rush past me as I plummeted ever downwards. It was hard to know how far I had fallen or had left to go. When the world is monochromatic it becomes difficult to distinguish things around you. I tried to shout or call for help but no sound escaped my lips. It was if I had fallen down a bottomless pit filled with a silence so profound it allowed no noise to penetrate it. And still I fell. I closed my eyes, substituting one darkness for another and tried to maintain any semblance of control. But I was misleading myself wasn't I? There seemed to be no hope, nothing to look forward to with innocent joy. What did it matter anyway? I was left to fall endlessly until waking in the real world. Unless I hit bottom, then I would never wake again. Yami...  
  
Suddenly I was no longer tumbling head over heels in a pointless spin. Something or someone had caught me. I dared myself and cautiously opened an eye. The sight I saw was one I expected and yet still took me completely by surprise. My favorite duel monster had snatched me from the air and was now carrying me to some shadow destination. I opened the other eye and blinked just to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. I was. The monster looked down at me and smiled, a weird effect when one half seems innocent and the other is something far more sinister. I merely gaped in awe at what was happening. The Change of Heart still took my breath away. In more ways than one.  
  
A slight tingling sensation began in my lower back but slowly crept upward. Soon my whole body was prickling. It felt strangely as though every extremity was asleep and full of pins and needles. Then the experience turned sour. I noticed that the hands I had thought were supporting me in a cradle were actually fused with me. That must have been what caused the tingling feeling I had. The moment I noticed this, more began to join with me. My world exploded in pain and fire reminiscent of what I had undergone the night before. I still I knew this was not as bad as it could become. As soon as I had finished this thought the anguish intensified to another level altogether. Again the Change of Heart took me in one fell swoop. I began to fall anew, wings having not become a part of my personification yet. I soon felt the prickling sign that they were about to form. I gritted my teeth and prepared for the pain. It was far worse than ever before. As soon as I had the capability of flight I stopped my decent anew. For a time afterward I just hovered and recovered from the strain. Surely it was time to wake up?  
  
~Emerge from this place as the messiah and teach your world of the end. The Shadow Games have awakened and so shall modern society fall. Depart child and begin your corruption~  
  
I twitched and found myself lying on the floor with several sets of eyes bearing down on me. I was still tangled in my seat but had managed to fall without waking. My teacher had a look of concern and annoyance on her face. Impishly I righted myself and returned my attention to the lecture, which was almost over anyway. I opened my notebook again to the page of notes. Acting as a bookmark were the three shimmering feathers. Something was quite different about these, however.  
  
One was completely black.  
  
---  
  
Twill: Well there's the update I hope you all enjoyed it. What POV should I do next? You readers decided ^__^ Until again, R&R!! 


	4. Shattered Peace: Feathers in the Wind

Twill: Wow! I'm getting a lot of reviews! I'm glad you readers like this fic so much! I know the last chapter was a bit short but I wanted to update and so yeah...Also I'd like to thank crystal crittenden for her suggestion for a chapter. I'm afraid I didn't use it exactly as was suggested but it definitely helped with both this chapter and the last. Thanks! Well, you're probably getting tired of reading my little not so I'll get on with the story. ^__^  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does but she really doesn't  
  
/blah/ = hikari thoughts  
  
//blah// = yami thoughts  
  
~blah~ = other thoughts  
  
-blah- = still more thoughts  
  
{blah} = you guessed it, different thoughts  
  
Yaoi between Ryou and Bakura in later chapters...implied for now  
  
---  
  
Shattered Peace: Feathers in the Wind  
  
---  
  
I stared in a daze at the three new feathers. What did these mean? Once again I checked to see if I had wings extending from my back. Thankfully I didn't. A small sigh of relief escaped my lips as I settled back in my seat to listen to the lecture. Or I would have had I not been interrupted.  
  
//Ryou, what exactly just happened?// I sighed mentally, hoping I wouldn't have to explain. But sadly I knew I had to, despite my own misgivings. Making sure there was nothing immediate I'd have to attend to, I plunged into what I had experienced just moments before. The feelings and images took over and my voice seemed far away to my ears. I was reliving the story again, of course not literally. A small tremor of pain arced through my body as I drew to the close. I winced internally and outward. //...// Silence...I was beginning to despise silence. The bell jolted me out of my pause and we students all stood and began to shuffle out of the room. Yugi gave me a strange look, no doubt concerned by my earlier antics. I certainly couldn't blame him. Bakura simply remained silent although I could feel he was tense. Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to remain in school for the rest of my life with my friends. No matter how much my yami may have seemed to change, I couldn't help but feel like he was waiting to take out his frustrations and stress on me. Like always before.  
  
~Love...it shall not be a threat to the cause...not if you renounce your heart child~  
  
There is was again, the voice I now believed to come from my favorite card. I wanted so desperately to understand what was going on and voices in my head weren't exactly helping. I glanced around, half afraid of what I might just see. The Shadow Realm inking its way across the hall, the Change of Heart smiling in its twisted way or some new fantastic horror to face alone in my dreams. The marching forms of other students were all that surrounded me. I think perhaps I was getting a bit paranoid. I cringed as my body finally decided to dump all the stress it felt down on me at once instead of small reminder twinges. It took most of my will power not to yell out in pain as my muscles screamed in agony. How could a dream feel so real?  
  
"Ryou, please take your seat and stopping loitering in the doorway." My English teacher looked crossly at me over the top of her spectacles. I hadn't noticed I'd made it this far or that I was leaning heavily on the doorframe. It was like I couldn't stand without its support. Shifting onto my right leg I almost buckled and collapsed right there. Apparently I couldn't stand without some support. Well almost. Somehow with unknown strength I managed to hobble to my desk, all the way in the back, and collapse silently with relief and anguish. It really hurt to sit down that hard. The professor began to explain the assignment, waving her arms in unnecessary emphasis. It began to get on my nerves after a few minutes and I began to wish she would shut up already! Wait...had I just thought that? She was staring in disbelief along with most of the class. Had I just said that aloud?! "Ryou I think you should work in the hall today. I'll be along in a moment to speak with you." Perfect. I hastily grabbed all my papers and assorted school things. Now all I had to manage was get out of the room without fainting, tripping, stumbling awkwardly or otherwise drawing more attention to myself that I already had. Drawing a determined breath I strode forward, miraculously managing to reach the exit without anything out of the ordinary happening. Once I was beyond the sight of my classmates was another story. My body finally decided I'd had too much strain so I crumpled to the floor along with all my belongings. I swear I even heard my yami laugh. With a heavy hearted sigh I pulled out a crisp sheet of paper and began to write. Minutes ticked by as the words just came pouring out of my mind. We were to describe a passion, hobby, interest or other fascination. Naturally I could guess Yugi, Malik and the rest of my friends were writing about duel monsters. Well I couldn't be absolutely sure about Malik...but that didn't matter. No, my topic was geared more towards ancient Egypt and all its mysteries. Lately the subject hadn't been far from my mind. Go figure.  
  
Soon the shadow of my instructor fell across my work. I had managed to write a fair bit. "Alright Ryou, I suspect you said what you did out of exhaustion. Yugi told me about what happened last period." She looked down at me as if I'd let her down at some crucial moment. It ground my nerves again but this time I didn't say or think anything about it...as far as I know. "Hand in your work and we'll forget all about what happened earlier." Trying hard not roll my eyes I handed up the pages I'd written. She glanced down to make sure it was finished or that I had dotted all my i's and crossed all my t's. Whatever. "Would you please explain this?" She flipped over the page so I could review. Everything was...it wasn't mine. The writing wasn't my style and it changed several times as though several different people had all contributed. What seriously sent shivers down my spine was I couldn't remember writing anything, not even what was staring me in the face. My mind was a total blank. "I expect this assignment to be competed and handed in first thing tomorrow morning. I don't want to call your parents if I don't have to." Fat chance she'd get my father, him being away on digs all the time. I nodded mutely and took the paper from her. Where had all this come from? I began to read what I...what someone...what was written.  
  
~The Realm has been awakened again, what side have you decided upon?~  
  
-Unlike you I have not quickly decided. My loyalties lie with none thus far and may not for the duration. Your deeds have changed nothing in my eyes.-  
  
{I am much the same. Your messiah seems too unpredictable to be of much use to anyone much less your cause. He is much more suitable as a corridor as obvious by this testament.}  
  
~The child will prove himself! He is a holder and as such is tied with the shadows. Yes he may be a light but who is to say that light cannot be consumed by the darkness? At least I have found my own, what of you? Nothing more than cowards seeking asylum within a host.~  
  
{My time draws closer! My own, the Illusionist, has become closer to the gloom. Soon, soon my time will arise and I shall bond as you have done. Perhaps, yes, I shall join the Realm and with two success is far greater!}  
  
-Both of you have lost yourselves, such a pity. I cannot say that I'm surprised, what with your two sides in constant disagreement and you tied with one who is unstable. I wouldn't be surprised if you're drunk on power as well. So very sad to see two such powers reduced to fractions of their former glory.-  
  
{So it seems you have chosen to side with the ancient kingdom. Predictable what with the old king being yours.}  
  
-I may have reached my conclusion but it is you, both of you, who are the unsurprising ones. As the saying goes, history repeats itself and as such you are doomed to failure.-  
  
{Ah, but that's where you are wrong. History has never been written like this before and it shall be remembered!}  
  
-And that is all it will accomplish, becoming a memory of continued failure in a line of catastrophes.-  
  
~You may speak the truth in your wise words but then again you may merely be holding up a front to hide your fears. Already my own has lost one token, his light has begun to fade to half its former potency. Love is clouded, truth will be easily overthrown, innocence can be easily stolen and as for memory, who is to say the bearer shall not suffer amnesia? You would be wise to alter your decision, wait, you have no wisdom to boast!~  
  
-Nothing is certain yet. The Shadow Games may indeed fall again, this time forever if we're lucky. The old king did it once and shall do it again, especially now that light has joined his darkness. Only time shall tell for sure, too bad the pet did not gain the wizard instead of the flame. Then this conflict could have been solved early.-  
  
{What does it matter? The guard, priest, wench and tailor are not gifted now as they once were. Only the Illusionist, Seeker and Old King have any chance to regain themselves. The other holders too are worthless as they do not even meld both light and shadow. With two supporting shadow, you, spell caster, and your king, shall fail once and eternally.}  
  
-We shall see dragon, we shall see...-  
  
The text faded from the page as I read over the last words. Illusionist? Priest? None of it made sense to me as far as I understood it. What did it have to do with me? I figured they, whoever 'they' were, had referred to me as a conduit and other object related things.  
  
~So he recorded our little conversation I see. Well no matter, now I believe you have another class child.~  
  
The voice again. I couldn't take it anymore! I crumpled the pages and threw them behind me. They happened to hit my English teacher squarely in the forehead but I didn't care. I just didn't care.  
  
~And so truth is distorted, one more task completed. I'll have to thank the spell caster for his unwitting assistance.~  
  
/GET OUT OF MY HEAD!/  
  
//...Ryou?//  
  
/GET OUT!/ I could feel uncertainty through my link with Bakura. It didn't matter, I needed peace. With probably my last coherent thought, I forced my yami out of the ring and managed to convey I needed him to cover for me. Once that was done, I bolted down the hall and outside. Everything was hazy, rushing past in a watercolor blur. It took me a few moments before I realized tears were streaming from my eyes, casting a pale watery shade over everything. I didn't care. I didn't care about anything...did I? I stopped. My heart felt heavy, almost like it was made of something heavy...or frozen. What was going on?  
  
~As I thought, you have nothing to hold your heart in place. But why hasn't your love fallen into the Realm?~  
  
Clutching my head I screamed. The voice, the memory blank and just everything was too much. My stress had reached its peak. Pain streaked through my body at this very moment sending me falling to my knees. Just perfect. I clenched and unclenched my fists as every muscle seemed to spasm all at one. Wave after wave of torture crashed down on my senses causing stars to explode in my vision. Then all at once it stopped aside from a vague pressure that seemed ready to expand. I decided not wait before it started again. Standing, I began to run again. The pressure increased and exploded outwards but this time I didn't feel it. My mind was set on other things. All I needed to do was get home, and then everything would be alright. Everything would be normal.  
  
Right.  
  
The houses flew by and the sidewalk seemed to disappear under my feet I was running so blindly. Only a few more feet forward, around the corner and two blocks more then I was home. I opened my eyes just to make sure I wasn't about to careen into traffic. There was no street in front of me, not even a parked car. I was standing in front of my front door. How, in Ra's name, had I gotten here when a wall of houses had blocked my way? I opened the door and stepped inside, trying not to think too much about it. I had probably misjudged the distance and was running more on instinct than I had thought. That made sense, more so than most things in my life were. I headed upstairs and down the hall towards my bedroom. Passing the bathroom on that floor, something caught my eye. It was my image, it didn't seem right. I flipped on the light switch and nearly fainted at the sight my eyes beheld.  
  
I was the Change of Heart.  
  
---  
  
Twill: Heh, I think that turned out really well. I hope everyone out there enjoyed it! So far no one has suggested a POV so I've stuck with Ryou for the most part. However, I'm considering doing someone else, any preference? Yugi, Yami, Malik...well he's not in it much so far but you get the idea. Let me know when you R&R!! 


	5. Ashes to Ashes: Darkness Reveals Itself

Twill: Wow, I've got nearly 40 reviews! I wasn't expecting this fic to be so popular! I'm very glad everyone is enjoying it! This chapter's going to feature two POV's which is a little different. Oh well, I needed two so I wrote two! I know there hasn't been much fluff and stuff between Ryou and Bakura yet but there will be. Or you could suggest other pairings and I'll see if they can be worked in! ^____^  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does but she really doesn't  
  
/blah/ = hikari thoughts  
  
//blah// = yami thoughts  
  
~blah~ = I can safely say, Change of Heart thoughts/words etc.  
  
-blah- = And again, this means thoughts of someone  
  
{blah} = Yep, more thoughts  
  
---  
  
Ashes to Ashes: Darkness Reveals Itself  
  
---  
  
~*Bakura's POV*~  
  
I was forcefully shoved from my soul room and out into the world in my body. When had Ryou been able to do that? His back faded from my sight as I just stared after him. What had he meant, 'get out of my head'? I had always been there, why was he now wanting me gone? I just didn't understand it, what had I done wrong?  
  
/Take my place in school, yami. I need some time to think, I need some time...please./  
  
//I...Alright aibou// I'm not exactly sure why I agreed to take his place at school but I guess it was because I wanted him to know he could count on me. I'm not even sure if he heard me. I felt nothing but pain, confusion and anguish from his side of our mental connection, at least what I was able to feel before he severed the link. My hikari was really getting skilled in using the ring. I sighed, collected my thoughts and stepped back into the classroom. Almost immediately I knew the Pharaoh had noticed that I wasn't my light. His hikari's head had snapped up as soon as I entered the room and he was now looking at me with a mixture of contempt and confusion. I returned to Ryou's seat only to get up again as the bell rang for lunch. Yami, however, seemed to be of the opinion that I should talk to him instead of join my fellow classmates in eating lunch, not that I needed to eat mind you.  
  
"Where is Ryou, thief?" I pasted on my trademark smirk and just glared at him. I didn't have to explain anything to him! "Damnit Bakura, you better not have hurt him..." Oh please, why did everyone think everything I did was always violent?!  
  
"It's none of your bloody business oh high and mighty Pharaoh," I gave him a bow just to punctuate my response. "And if it was, I'd have you know Ryou wanted to go home and asked me to take his place!"  
  
"Lies, I know what you're capable of, what you are. What happened to Ryou?" Such an all knowing prick isn't he?  
  
"Oh calm down your highness. You have no proof that Bakura did anything so just go throw your temper tantrum somewhere else!" I cast a glance over at Malik, who was the one to have spoken. He was still seated in his desk, glaring daggers at Yami. I could have laughed at the look of rage on the former king's face. It was priceless! Malik smirked at me and I nodded curtly. Ah yes, it was wonderful to have friends. It made torture that much more fun. Yami spluttered and finally stood in a silent sulk. I rolled my eyes and began to move towards the classroom door. Apparently the teacher had vanished just as quickly as the students, which I was thankful for. It would be hard to explain our little conversation.  
  
~There is an unbalance and I merely wish to correct it before chaos spreads to this world~  
  
/And how do you plan to do that?/  
  
~With your help~  
  
/Me? What can I do? I'm worthless, just ask my yami. He doesn't think I'm anything special, just some sort of inanimate object.../  
  
I couldn't believe it! I...I was listening to Ryou and someone else talking and he thought I still hated him. Why couldn't he see I had never hated him? Especially after I had begged his forgiveness and now, now that I...  
  
~You are the key, child. Through you lies the answer~  
  
-And with another, lies the guarantee-  
  
I suddenly turned and faced the other two in the room with me. Yami was sulking in a desk, apparently talking with his hikari, Yugi and Malik was just staring into space, which wasn't all that unusual. The thing that made this strange was that I hadn't intended on turning nor was I now meaning to stride towards Malik at a purposeful pace.  
  
-Taking darkness is far easier than light! Pity light must be taken instead...-  
  
Malik had finally snapped from his thoughts or daydream and was watching me approach. Something in his eyes was different, not the usual indifferent and cocky glint I normally saw there. He shifted uncomfortably as the last gap closed. My hand reached out towards him, out of my control and he eyed it apprehensively. I also noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Yami had perked up and was staring at me strangely. What was it they saw?  
  
{You will not take him, Dragon!}  
  
Another voice, I was surely going mad. I would have to ask Malik what the best ways to deal with insanity were. My hand was hovering just in front of Malik's face and I still had no control. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't pull it back, look in another direction or even cough. Somehow, I didn't feel concerned over my lack of motor ability. I felt strangely detached from myself. My face twisted into a grin and I felt myself begin to tense. I was about to take the final step forward, the one that would bring my hand in direct contact with my friend. There was a sudden flash before my eyes and everything went completely black. The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Malik's yami, Marik, call out my name.  
  
~*Malik's POV*~  
  
The day had just gotten a lot weirder.  
  
Who knew that I would be facing these sorts of things today? If anyone had told me this morning, I would have laughed and proclaimed the messenger crazier than I was. But sure enough, here I was, staring down at the unconscious form of one of my friends. However, perhaps I should start at the point where things began to turn odd.  
  
We were given the assignment of describing a hobby or interest or passion we had in life. Ryou had been sent into the hall for an outburst which had him screaming at the teacher to shut up. I, personally, was quite happy to see the look of shock and anger on the old bat's face when he did this. I was also a bit surprised. Ryou was always the polite, quiet student who always took notes and listen to every word any teacher would say.  
  
//I think he's finally decided to show a little backbone. Perhaps Bakura's rubbed off on him and about time too//  
  
/Maybe, but I don't think so. Ryou's never like this/  
  
//If you say so hikari, he's your friend not mine//  
  
I quickly turned my attention back to the assignment at hand. So far I had two paragraphs about studying Egypt. It didn't seem right, more something my sister Isis would do. She was beginning to rub off on me, in ways I didn't like. So, I switched topics to duel monsters. No more than three sentences in, I decided that at least half the class would be writing about it. What else did I do or like? After several minutes of pointless thinking, I decided to go with my desire for revenge and love of causing people pain. This was it, the perfect topic. I managed about three pages before we were told to hand in our work. Ryou hadn't done anything out in the hallway, which was another surprise, and had been told to do it for homework. Now, with only seconds to go before the bell rang for lunch, Bakura walked in and took Ryou's place. I couldn't understand what would possess him to do that, unless he figured he could get Yami's puzzle.  
  
The bell rang and everyone was gone before you could say 'go'. Everyone but me, Yami and Bakura. The Pharaoh was busy being an idiot by asking Bakura pointless questions.  
  
//Go save him, hikari. No one should have to suffer one of the Pharaoh's rants//  
  
With a nearly silent chuckle I spoke up, glaring intently at Yami. "Oh calm down your highness. You have no proof that Bakura did anything so just go throw your temper tantrum somewhere else!" He reddened slightly and tried to find words to express how insolent I was, or something. I guess Yugi managed to dissuade him because he decided to sulk instead. I smirked at Bakura and he nodded in acknowledgement for my assistance. Bakura then began to walk towards the exit, which I couldn't blame him for doing.  
  
-I can smell him; my Illusionist is close at hand. I sense his heart, smell his blood, he will be MINE!-  
  
/Marik...did you hear that?/  
  
//Hear what Malik? All those voices getting too much to handle?// I felt his mental smirk.  
  
/No...never mind/  
  
-Closer, closer. Touch him, he will be mine then, TOUCH HIM FOOL!-  
  
I jerked out of my thoughts and tried to take inventory of what was going on. I was hearing a voice that Marik couldn't and it, as far as I could tell, was talking about me. What I saw next nearly caused me to faint, something I don't do very often...in fact ever. Bakura was stalking towards me but he wasn't the Bakura I knew. His eyes were reptilian although I could see the brown behind them. Instead of Ryou's sweater outfit, he was clothed in nothing but scales, and perhaps crude armor but I couldn't be sure. The normal clothes were still visible beneath this...underneath. His hands ended in claws but I could still see his fingers. In all respects Bakura was a dragon with bushy white hair and the image of one of my friends underneath.  
  
//...the hell?//  
  
He reached out one of those scaly, clawed hands of his that still looked normal underneath and seemed to want to touch me. Now I knew the voice had been referring to me.  
  
-Why do you pull away? TOUCH HIM NOW!-  
  
I waited in apprehension for the last bit of space between my face and his hand to disappear. Instead the draconic image vanished, Bakura's eyes widened and then he collapsed. Marik separated from me violently and looked down at his friend with concern.  
  
"Bakura!"  
  
So there you are, the reason I came to be staring down at Bakura's limp form. Even Yami seemed to have seen what I had and was looking at him in shock. What the hell had just happened? Without any warning, Bakura's body shuddered violently and his eyes fluttered for a moment. Then, with a small groan he began to push himself up until he was standing, but his eyes were still closed. "Bakura?" I was the first to break the silence that had descended. His forehead creased in concentration for a moment and then his eyes opened.  
  
They were no longer his eyes.  
  
The harsher version of Ryou's chocolate brown eyes had disappeared completely. Instead we were looking at a softer, cerulean blue pair that looked at us quizzically. "I'm afraid I am not your friend." He, it, they, whatever, seemed almost sad at that comment.  
  
"Then who are you and what happened to Bakura?"  
  
"That requires a very long answer. But if you have time, I will be happy to answer it for you." We all nodded and he continued with a sigh. "I...well; I have been given no name. You would recognize me if I were in my proper guise, as a Dark Magician." Needless to say we all just stared. Yami especially was taken completely by surprise. "Since the ancient days of Egypt, during the reign of one Pharaoh strongly connected to the Shadow Games," he looked directly into Yami's eyes as he spoke, "what you call duel monsters have lived and flourished in the Shadow Realm. It is our world, as well the spirits know." Marik and Yami were nodding to themselves. "Each monster is connected to one soul here, the connection's strength dependant on the bond between master and card. Favorites are, of course, the closest to the soul they are connected to."  
  
"That still doesn't explain why you are here."  
  
"When the Pharaoh dueled the thief for the last time, the raider's closest card, a Change of Heart, turned on him as is written its nature may push it to do so. However, when it attacked, its balance was forever thrown off. Its darker half was able to break free of the barrier that separated light and dark. When the thief was sealed into the Seeking Ring, as it was referred to in those ancient times, all of his linked monsters were left to their lives in the shadows. The Change of Heart was further driven from its balance, until finally the darkness had taken over almost everything. As is its power, the monster began to spread its darkness, infecting every other monster it came across. The first being the others in its master's deck."  
  
"This must have been because Bakura was now only a dark spirit. He no longer had any light in his soul." Yami and Marik were deep into their thoughts, both casting glances at each other and then 'Bakura' every so often.  
  
"When this age began and the Ring fell into the hands of a youth, disorder spread. Some of the cards the Change of Heart had touched with its corruption began to regain their light. The monster's own lighter side, that had been subdued and nearly broken, began to stir and try to break free, to regain its balance. The darkness discovered the cause, the youth who holds the ring, and took it upon itself to corrupt him as well. Thus, he would restore darkness, shatter light forever and perhaps cause the Shadow Realm to collapse into eternal darkness."  
  
"And what was the whole draconic thing about?"  
  
"There are other monsters who feel that having supreme reign through darkness would be to their advantage. One is the closest to the wielder of the rod, you." It took me a moment to think of what he meant. Then I realized which card was the closest to me, being my favorite. The Dragon Ra. "I was approached by both the Dragon and the Change of Heart in an attempt to gain my help in their request. I refused and stand firmly by my decision." Yami seemed touched by this expression of loyalty. He smiled, one of the few times I had actually ever seen him do that. "The Dragon Ra decided to take you forcefully to meet his own ends and corrupt all cards in your deck. I could not let that happen and forced him back into this one's mind. As an unexpected result I was pushed into control."  
  
"Why are you two even in his mind?"  
  
"Have you not already guessed? The Change of Heart came to its master. We were summoned into him as well and never returned. To be returned, it requires magic which I am not able to cast in my present state. The Change of Heart had access to the Ring to which it was bound to and was thus able to bring us."  
  
"How can you be sent home?" That question surprised me. Marik had been the one to ask and I never pictured him as the sort to care about something like that.  
  
"You all possess the Millennium Items do you not? Simply concentrate and will us free from Bakura's mind and back to the realm. It is that simple."  
  
"Alright then, I say we do it." Marik and Yami looked at me and nodded, both bringing their items into bear. I too began concentrating on my version of the rod and trying to picture the Dark Magician and my Dragon Ra being swallowed into the Shadow Realm. The image of Bakura draconic kept popping into my head, like some possessed slide show or something. When I felt our collective magic dissipate I finally opened my eyes. Bakura stood, normal as ever, and looked at us all with confusion. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped forward. My yami caught him before he hit the ground. The worst, however, was what was standing behind him. My Dragon Ra, in his human form, grinned devilishly at the four of us, showing off all his glinting and very sharp teeth.  
  
"I don't think we managed to send him back to the realm." That was the understatement of the year, thank you Yami.  
  
"Certainly you did not. However you did craft me a fine body and banish the spell caster back to the shadows. For that I thank you." He bowed deeply and grinned once again. I didn't like how he managed to show off every single one of those dagger teeth. "And don't think I will be staying here so you may try again. No, I will be leaving now." Even as he spoke he was backing towards the door. There was no way we could stop him. By the time we concentrated through our items he would be gone. Even summoning a monster was pointless, he being a god card and all. With a final deep bow and demonic grin, he stepped out the door and was gone.  
  
"I don't understand, what went wrong?" Marik shifted the limp form of Bakura so he was lying across a couple of desks. Yami was staring darkly at the door where my dragon had disappeared. Both spirits did not look happy. Not at all. It was looking at them that I realized the one flaw in all that we had done. The one error that had given him a physical form.  
  
I felt my stomach wrap itself into a knot and tighten. I had been visualizing my dragon as a human. I was the one who couldn't stop picturing his devilish grin. It was me who messed everything up and who knew if Bakura was okay? I had probably just cost the world a lot of trouble. Trying hard to make my voice not betray my emotion I answered.  
  
"I did."  
  
---  
  
Twill: Aww, well there you have it, a new chapter! Some info has been revealed and all at poor Bakura's sake. Whose POV should I write in next? Let me know, as always, when you R&R! 


	6. Porcelain World: Broken and Glued

Twill: My goodness, another shocking wave of reviews! And I apologize profusely for keeping you waiting! My darn writer's block went on a huge spree and prevented any ideas and then all my teachers decided to dump homework on me. But I know you don't want to hear excuses so I'll shut up and get to the story. This chapter's in Ryou's point of view, like so many of you requested ^.^ No romance as of yet, but certainly angst. Enjoy!  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does but she really doesn't  
  
/blah/ = hikari thoughts  
  
//blah// = yami thoughts  
  
~blah~ = Change of Heart thoughts/words etc.  
  
-blah- = Dragon Ra thoughts/words etc.  
  
{blah} = Dark Magician thoughts/words etc.  
  
Yaoi between Bakura and Ryou...implied for now. Yeah, I know it hasn't expanded much on the subject but it will...I hope...  
  
---  
  
Porcelain World: Broken and Glued  
  
---  
  
The mirror swam before my eyes and along with it my horrific image. Before it had all been a dream and now...now it was a nightmare. With one hand braced against the doorframe, to keep myself from falling, I relived the images I had seen, and heard the story Bakura had spoken.  
  
"I was dueling the Pharaoh in our final match... the Shadow Game would remain and he would surrender... My trump monster, the one I figured would win it all, was the Change of Heart." Even as the last word echoed through my numb mind, I mouthed it unison. Then the pictures became clearer and flashed quickly before my mind's eye.  
  
The Millennium Puzzle.  
  
The Millennium Ring.  
  
Dark Magician.  
  
Lady of Faith.  
  
Pharaoh Yami.  
  
Thief Bakura.  
  
Change of Heart.  
  
Six feathers, all but one black...  
  
"Get out of my head.."  
  
~But I though I was your favorite, my master~  
  
My head shot up and back to the mirror's surface. It remarkably stopped spinning for that instant and I saw something which sent icy shivers down my spine. I was grinning demonically, as I watched, the feeling becoming apparent on my face. When had I ever smiled like that? I took a shaky step forward; one hand outstretched, and attempted to touch my image. It laughed; the harsh sound tearing its way from my throat.  
  
~Too confusing for you little one? My apologies, I shall do better next time~ A tugging sensation began to make its presence known. It started at my wings and spread up and down my back. The feeling intensified until I was screaming in blinding pain upon my knees. Somehow, though, I managed to look up into my reflection and saw what was happening.  
  
To this day I wish I hadn't.  
  
Shoulders were separating from my own, carrying my wings along with them. Hair sprouted from the back of my skull, lengthening and changing color to golden amber. Soon this hair was followed by a separate head to which it was attached. I could feel my stomach, despite the pain, writhe with disgust. When I could take it no longer, I leaned further forward and wretched violently. But still my gaze returned to what was happening. The shoulders and half another now were joined by a neck, a torso extending beyond that. I glanced fearfully down at my hands and saw that I had twice as many fingers as before. This was the final circumstance which pushed me over the edge. The blackness creeping in at the corners of my mind and vision finally won over my consciousness and I passed out to a blank world of silence.  
  
~I must apologize for the pain but I have not yet perfected the separation as I have the joining. Perhaps next time I shall try it in shadow, so as to lessen the agony some~  
  
"Next...time?" The sound was virtually sucked from my mouth as I tried to peers through the darkness. Where was I?  
  
~Of course. If I am to help my master, I must be able to protect him mustn't I?~  
  
"Master? Protect? I don't understand..." Again my lungs felt as though something had snatched away the air those words contained. I found myself gasping for breath and coughing slightly.  
  
~Do you know my identity?~ I nodded blindly, hoping I wasn't doing it toward an area of blank space. ~Then that should be all the comprehension you require! I am your monster, sworn to protect my master from all harm and that is what I come to do~  
  
"Protect me...from what?"  
  
~Madness~ Finally I could make out the card's form before me, albeit blurry. I squinted in hopes of seeing better but it didn't help. ~I notice you have trouble speaking here...perhaps if you try your mental speech, it will work better~  
  
"Alright..but explain."  
  
~There is an unbalance and I merely wish to correct it before chaos spreads to this world~ I shifted until I was sitting semi-comfortably, looking up at it.  
  
/And how do you plan to do that?/  
  
~With your help~  
  
/Me? What can I do? I'm worthless, just ask my yami. He doesn't think I'm anything special, just some sort of inanimate object.../ I paused and went over the words I had just thought. Bakura had changed hadn't he? Did I still believe he looked down upon me? I wasn't sure..I felt something nudging at my mind and realized my yami could hear my thoughts. Swiftly I blocked my half of the link, not wanting him to take me as insane since it would seem as though I was talking to myself. A wave of sorrow washed over me then, for I knew he had heard what I had thought about him. Was that really what I felt?  
  
~You are far more important that you give yourself credit, little master. I fear your yami may have been corrupted by the disorder, for he is closer to darkness than you. He may be trying to lower your confidence and convince you that you hold no value. Do not believe him, child. You are far stronger that he realizes~  
  
/But...what can I do? And I still don't understand what's happening/ I tried not to think about Bakura as he had been, but it heartened me to know that all he had said and done may have been because of an outside influence. There was still hope for-  
  
~The monsters of the Shadow Realm are beginning to amass on the side of darkness. Even ones normally on the side of goodness, such as the Mystical Elf, are turning toward evil. If it continues this way, the balance will be broken and the monsters may be able to come to your world~  
  
I stared in shock for a moment. Duel monsters wreaking havoc on human civilization was a lot to swallow and none of it good. /What about you? Aren't you affected by this change?/  
  
~Fortunately I am not. Since I am the embodiment of eternal balance, I cannot be swayed to either side. As such, it is my duty to correct this trouble and I require you, Ryou~ We locked eyes and I shivered. Everything about this whole business scared me; I suppose because I'm a hikari. When faced with overwhelming darkness in the face of a small light, who wouldn't be frightened?  
  
/Will I be able to save Bakura?/  
  
~It is uncertain at this time, young one. I wish very much that he can be recovered but I cannot say now. He may be lost in the chaos too completely~  
  
/I..I understand/  
  
~You must be wary of the Shadow Realm. With this upset, it may be able to extend itself to your realm without the use of a magical talisman or item. There will be monsters within its depths that will seek to destroy you, lest their power be removed. One such being is the Dark Magician of the Pharaoh~  
  
/Yami's favorite? But, he's always been on our side!/  
  
~Chaos does not discriminate between friends and enemies, it merely consumes. We have one ally for certain, however. The mind enslaver's pet god, the Dragon Ra, has pledged his support and is clean of disorder. There are others out there that will also lend their strength to you, for us~  
  
/Us.../ My head began to pound and I lost sight of my favorite. The world, or whatever, melted together forming and inkiness which was unparallel to any other darkness I'd yet witnessed. Pain flared through my body sending bolts of red and white through the black backdrop I could see. I suddenly felt the hard floor beneath me and wondered why I hadn't noticed its absence throughout the conversation. After a few more seconds of simply lying there, I cracked open my eyes only to scrunch them shut again an instant later. The world was bright! Gradually, though, I managed to become accustomed to the change and slowly say up. Every inch of my back ached with a dull throbbing flame, but it was a tickle compared to what I'd felt earlier. Feathers littered the ground all around where I sat; some were clumped together with some sort of substance. I gingerly reached out and brought a bunch closer for inspection. Pulling them apart, I quickly discovered what it was which glued them together.  
  
Blood.  
  
My blood.  
  
It was then that I noticed the abundance which surrounded me. It was pooled in many places, some even smeared along the wall in a crimson splatter. I felt my stomach wrench upwards and I spilled its contents out; letting is mix with the blood. I couldn't stand it, sitting here like this amidst my own bodily fluids, but I couldn't move either. Something lukewarm dripped down my neck before the sensation was lost in my burning back. With apprehension, I felt back along my spine. The prodding resulted in numbing agony which sent my questing fingers back in shock. But before they retreated, I had felt all that I needed to be sick again. My sweater was shredded and a long, spine length tear ran from the base of my neck down to where my pants began and most likely beyond that. I wasn't sure of how deep it was, but its existence was not reassuring. There were also two gaping holes where the wings had been. That set my disgust aback for a moment. I was no longer the human image of the duel monster.  
  
However, there seemed to be more pressing matters at hand. I struggled weakly (and painfully) to my feet, clinging desperately to the bathroom sink for support. Before I could think about it, I looked in the mirror and saw what a pathetic mess I was. Blood matted my hair into odd shaped clumps, my sweater was practically a rag and I look as though I hadn't slept in a few days. Not a pretty sight in the least. I decided my first order of business was to clean up, both myself and the wounds I had somehow gained. Hot water soon sent steam coursing through the small room and I climbed into the wonderfully hot spray. Of course once I turned it wasn't so wonderful anymore. More white hot pain lanced through my already aching body and I had to turn the pressure down. I let the water wash away the blood, the water staining red around my feet. After a few minutes I decided I was probably clean enough. Now I had to bandage the cuts and probably put some disinfectant on them as well. That would be so much fun.  
  
I pulled out my personal first aid kit from beneath my bed. I'd always kept one there in case of...well that was all in the past. Wasn't it? I couldn't be sure. I found some cream and began smearing it over all the places I could reach. I knew that I should probably go to a hospital but how would I explain this? Yes, excuse me sir, a duel monster just ripped its way out of me and I was wondering if you could sew up what's left of my back, thanks. Unrolling some long gauze bandages, I set to work wrapping my torso as tightly as I could while still being able to move and breathe properly. It took most of the three rolls I had. I guess I'd have to make a shopping trip for more before I needed to change them. I sighed.  
  
The events of the day began to catch up with me, not to mention I'd lost quite a bit of blood. No matter, I'd clean that up soon enough but first I needed to sit down. Upon doing so I quite simply passed out, unable to hold myself awake in this weakened state. I found myself within my soul room, like I usual did when falling asleep. I crawled over to the bed in the middle and quietly laid down to rest. But something kept me from truly drifting off. I tossed and turned and dozed for awhile but something was missing or wrong. I couldn't place my finger on what though.  
  
Deciding I'd had enough, I tried to wake up but found that I couldn't. I mused that I probably was still too weak to be conscious just yet. So where did that leave me? I could try and fall asleep again but something told me that wouldn't happen. So what else could I do here in my soul room? Wait..soul room? I'd go and visit Bakura, that's what I could do. With this new plan in mind, I hurried out and looked around at the corridor between out rooms. His door was closed, no surprise, and I reached out hesitantly and knocked. No answer.  
  
"Bakura?" I winced expecting him to shout at me for disturbing his sanctuary. No response came from within. "Yami?" I hesitantly tried the doorknob, hoping it was unlocked. By some miracle it was and the door slid open smoothly. I cautiously peeked inside against the darkness that swelled within. It was impossible to make out the shape of anything let alone see if my darker half was inside. Placing one foot in front of the other, I quietly stepped in and shut the door behind me, waiting for my eyes o adjust. There was something familiar about this room somehow, as though I'd been there before which wasn't possible. Bakura would never let me into his soul room. A cold breeze blew by and I shivered slightly. Why was it so cold and dark? The answer nagged at my mind but I couldn't figure out what it was so I just ignored it. "Are you here?"  
  
-Who asks?-  
  
I jumped in surprise. That voice or whatever it was didn't belong to my yami. "Who are you and why are you in Bakura's soul room?"  
  
-I'm not. I, thankfully, have my own body now and no longer have any need for your yami's. Although I am still after another-  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
-Wait...you are the hikari of the ring are you not?-  
  
"I...am, yes."  
  
-Ah! I should have known!- A shape swirled in the blackness before me. It resembled a human, who looked a lot like both my yami and Malik mixed into one, and seemed to be more...draconic? -I am the golden dragon, little one. Your companion's favorite card and sworn protector of the peace you offer.- The image grinned.  
  
"Malik's god card?" I couldn't understand why he was hear instead of Bakura and why he looked completely different from the card.  
  
-Yes, the Dragon Ra. I assume your favorite has told you of our mission?- I nodded mutely. -Then you know I mean no harm-  
  
"Where's Bakura?"  
  
-I...have not seen him, little one.-  
  
"Why are you in here anyway?"  
  
-I was summoned through the ring, so that I may protect you. His soul was the one I felt most comfortable in but I will leave if you wish.-  
  
I shook my head absently, not wanting to cause any problems. But I wondered where my yami was. Perhaps...I smacked my forehead in realization. He was in control of my body, which meant he wouldn't be in is soul room. That explained why I was even allowed in here in the first place. This meant I'd better leave before I was caught. "Um, thanks. I'd better go now...the real world calls." I waved and scooted backwards and out the door I'd come in.  
  
-Farewell for now little light. I will see you again very soon and perhaps with my vessel in tow as well.- The Dragon Ra smirked darkly and faded away into the blackness, his cold eyes disappearing last.  
  
I opened my eyes slowly to the mid-afternoon sun that was splayed across my face in a puddle. I stretched dazedly before remembering that I shouldn't because of my injuries. But, the thing was, it didn't hurt. I sat up and carefully prodded along my spine only to find skin. Whole, pale, normal skin. And my shoulders, too, were completely unscathed. The day was getting more and more confusing by the second and I just wanted things to return to normal. Sighing heavily, I stood to clean the mess in the bathroom but something dropped from my lap that I had failed to notice.  
  
Six feathers; the three from the night of the dream and the three from school, all floated down to the carpet.  
  
I swallowed. Two of them were completely black, one was grey and the other three remained pure, glaring white. I had thought there were only three, and that maybe I had imagined them, but as I looked at them I was forced to believe everything was real. I was forced to accept my yami's past, his duels with Yami, his cruelty after receiving the ring. I was forced to admit that I had a god duel monster watching over me, my favorite card trying to save my world and that I was taking regular trips to the shadow realm. I was forced to face reality.  
  
It wasn't that I had thought everything was a dream or something in my imagination. But when you're faced with something so impossible or crazy that you know it couldn't actually happen, despite knowing that it is, you tend to make it fantasy. Now I'd lost that shield and the actuality came crashing down upon my mind and spirit. I sank back into the couch trying to make sense of everything as delusional as it was. I glanced down at my lap, at the six feathers, and gasped. One of the remaining white ones had become shaded to a light grey. I wanted to know what this all meant; what these all meant.  
  
I picked up one of the white feathers and twirled it between my fingers. It felt like a regular feather and nothing special happened. Next, I toyed with one of the grey ones. Again, nothing spectacular happened. Lastly I twisted one of the ebony ones. Images came rushing to my mind- soldiers and mages, kings and queens all marching into battle, with a blazing banner behind them of lavender and gold. The enemy was grotesque and malformed, looking as though they came from nightmares. Their flag whipped about in the wind; it was scarlet and black, a twisting vortex that looked ready to swallow anything. The two forces converged and...  
  
//Ryou...// I snapped out of my vision as I dropped the feather in surprise. Had I just imagined Bakura's voice or was it real? //R-you...// My head shot up and I automatically scanned the room for him even though I knew he couldn't be there. Sure enough, I was still alone.  
  
/Yami? What is it? Where are you?/  
  
//So...cold...//  
  
/Yami? Bakura?!/  
  
//Can't...much...Ryou../  
  
I desperately tried to probe deeper into our connection. Where was his spirit and what was it facing? I was met only with static, like the kind you see when your television isn't receiving a signal. It took no less than a moment before I had to break off or I'd end up being sick. Apparently I wasn't fully recovered.  
  
//Change...of..heart...//  
  
/...what?/ I knew that he couldn't be saying what I'd heard but the coincidence was astonishing. And it freaked me out. His voice whispered something else faintly before completely cutting out and leaving my in silence, both inside and out. I was beginning to hate silence. /Yami?/ No response. /Bakura!/ Nothing. I was completely cut off from him mentally. Hastily, I returned to my soul room, sprinted across to his door and wrenched it open. "Bakura!" There was no sign of his presence and no sign of the blackness that had been within earlier. In fact, it appeared that the chamber had been ransacked. Various items were strewn about, some broken, others scratched. I couldn't face the destruction and jerked myself back to reality.  
  
It seemed I was now completely alone.  
  
---  
  
Twill: Aww, poor Ryou-chan! *sobs and sniffles* Well, there's the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know your votes for the next POV and hopefully I won't take so long updating.  
  
Malichi: That's what you think *snickers*  
  
Twill: *pushes him out of the fic with a sigh* Read and review! -.-; 


	7. Patchwork Drawing: The Path Unfolds

Twill: Yay! Another update! My block must finally be thinning...or something like that. O____O Anyway, this chapter starts off in Bakura's POV and then switches to Malik's. I'll get around to doing one in either Yugi's or Yami's someday, just so you can have their perspective. On with the show!  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does but she really doesn't  
  
/blah/ = hikari thoughts  
  
//blah// = yami thoughts  
  
Yaoi between Ryou and Bakura...implied for now...You know, this might turn into a Marik/Bakura fic. Hard to say...^^; opinions are welcome  
  
---  
  
Patchwork Drawing: The Path Unfolds  
  
---  
  
How in Ra's name did I end up here? My memory was hazy and distorted; I couldn't clearly remember much. There was a boy with sun bleached hair starting at me with surprise and worry. I knew him from somewhere...but why couldn't I remember his name? I thought harder in hopes of dredging up more clues. There was another boy; he looked a lot like the first only more ominous. And someone standing next to them with wild tri-colored locks. No..there was two of them, like the others. One seemed cherub-like and the other was cold and stern. Who were they? My hands found their way to the sides of my head and pressed against my temples as if trying to squeeze out any drop of information that may be within.  
  
"...think he's alright? He's been out for..." A voice penetrated the depths of wherever it was that I was. It seemed to be a fragment of some sort of conversation, the voice sounding familiar.  
  
"Hard to say...dragon could have done...damage..."  
  
"...the Dark Magician...going to rescue him...give him a body?"  
  
"...millennium items...could take a...lot of strength...up to it?"  
  
The voices faded back to where they had come from. Four of them, all of which were familiar in some way, all of them belonging to the faces I could remember. What were their names? Deciding that sitting here was going to get me nowhere, I stood and looked around. Something nagged at my hazy mind; I knew where I was but the name of the place wouldn't come to me. The sky and ground was pitch black and yet I could still see my own hands and other parts of my body. My hair, the pieces I could see at least, stood out like a beacon. The nagging feeling told me it wasn't safe to wander around attracting attention like this. I peered around, looking for cover, wishing I was home with those people who I seemed to know.  
  
There was a bright flash of light in front of my eyes which blinded my vision with white instead of black. When this subsided I found myself looking up at crumbling tiles that were in bad need of repair. My mind cleared momentarily to give me one name, just one: Marik. I took advantage of this small victory and managed to mumble it to myself. I suppose it must have been a bit louder than I thought because I heard movement from somewhere off to my right...or was it left?  
  
"You've finally woken up. That is good to see." I tensed at the sound of a foreign voice. Someone was in the same room that I was. I wasn't alone. Were they friend or foe? Enemy or ally? Preparing myself for the worst, I jerked my head to the side to confront the other occupant. My eyes were met with a sight I'd never expected to see. A man, clad in purple armor with light indigo hair was carefully regarding my movements. His cerulean eyes coolly flicked from my face to a window and what lay beyond. Something about him, like so much else, rang a bell of familiarity within my mind.  
  
"Who...are you?" My voiced croaked out from within my throat. I discovered that my lips were chapped and most likely covered in dry blood. I rasped and coughed a few times before the man stood and fetched a small bowl of water. I gulped the cool liquid down greedily, feeling the dryness ebb away. He took the container once I was finished and returned to staring at me. "Who are you?"  
  
"I am the Dark Magician. I'm surprised you don't recognize me, tomb robber." Nothing he said made sense. Images began to bombard my mind. I could see this man, no, mage, standing tall beside one of the two spiky- haired youths. I could see myself skulking in shadows with some sort of sack slung over my shoulders.  
  
"Should I?" My eyes slid shut of their own will as more fractured images began to play themselves before my eyes. Strange and fantastic creatures of every imaginable shape, size, color, type...all of them seemed to appear from nowhere or simple blackness. On image in particular shone strongly- a figure of good and evil entwined to one. My eyes opened again.  
  
"Do you know who *you* are?" The question came as a shock...but, did I?  
  
"Of course, I'm...I'm..." This wasn't what I was expecting at all. Alright, so I couldn't remember this purple mage, or those other people I saw earlier, that wasn't anything too serious, but my own name? Something was amiss.  
  
"You are Bakura, thief of the desert." I nodded. Something told me he wasn't lying although I wasn't sure how I knew that. "I am not sure how you came to be here, but it is my duty to get you home."  
  
"How do you figure that?"  
  
"Your hikari is a close friend to my Little Master, who is the hikari to Master Pharaoh and I am sworn to assist him in every way. That includes protecting his friends and anything that has to do with them. If that were not the case, I'd leave you to the mercy of Mystical Elf, who found you first." I shuddered involuntarily at that and nodded gratefully. He moved across the room to peer out a window. "Can you recollect anything?"  
  
"All I can remember is faces and senses of familiarity and trust." I closed my eyes to get a better picture. "Two boys, both with tri-colored hair of black, blonde and red, I know I can trust them however much I might not want to. Another pair, these two with sun bleached hair and violet eyes. I feel more strongly attached to them." Opening my eyes I found him looking at me quizzically. "What?"  
  
"You've never been this open, so I've been told."  
  
"Am I supposed to be closed off?"  
  
"From what I know, you usually are."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Your past." Silence fell as he drifted off into thought and I decided to try and remember more. Lying back and closing my eyes once more, I tried clearing my mind of everything. After a few moments, he rose, spoke of returning soon and then departed.  
  
I quickly opened my as, stood and followed, unwilling to be left behind. However I encountered a stationed guard just outside the door. "Let me pass, I want to accompany the Dark Magician." The other, an elf with short yellowish green hair and covered in armor, complete with a sword, shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry but you are to remain here for your own safety." Something within me tensed and I found myself glaring at the monster.  
  
"I can take care of myself! There is nothing out there that either I or he couldn't face."  
  
Shaking his head again, the elf turned back to gaze across the gloomy landscape. "He's not worried about something out there attacking you while you travel, but rather here. Dark suspects even himself."  
  
"Then why leave me here with you? Surely you could also be suspect."  
  
"That is true. But," he smiled sadly, "few have use for a monster without outstanding attack or defense capabilities. Thus I am a wise choice for I am unlikely to be corrupted."  
  
"And you're more likely to be defeated by those who are." He winced subtly but I somehow managed to catch the movement. There seemed to be a lot to me that I didn't know about. "All right. I'll stay here and you can protect me, but I want something in return."  
  
A small smile touched his lips. "Such as?"  
  
"Information."  
  
~*Elsewhere, Malik's POV*~  
  
It was halfway through lunch. We were all still waiting to see or hear some sign of life from the motionless Bakura.  
  
//He can't die, if that's what you're worrying about//  
  
/Then why isn't he waking up?/  
  
Marik didn't have an answer for me and silence again settled. We had discussed possibilities of using the magic of our items to try and heal Bakura or help him in whatever way possible. We'd even argued over contacting the Dark Magician and asking if he knew anything, or else giving the purple mage a body in our world like my dragon. The thought of my mistake still sent my stomach into knots. My darkness had been the one to suggest all of this but Yami wasn't convinced it would work. The only reason he would give is that 'we didn't know where the tomb robber is and we shouldn't mess around with his body until we do.'  
  
Honestly, he has got to learn he's not Pharaoh anymore. It's almost like the puzzle is cutting off his awareness of reality.  
  
"What about Ryou?" I snapped from my thoughts and glanced over to the shortest member of our group. Yugi was staring down at the ring on Bakura's chest.  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Well, he has the ring plus he's Bakura's hikari."  
  
"So?" Marik shook his head, not understanding what the other light was getting at. I, however, was catching onto what he was saying.  
  
"So Ryou should be able to tell us where Bakura is, assuming he's not lying right in front of us, which he is I might add." Yami's face was impassive and cold but I knew deep inside he was bristling with irritation. Such a royal porcupine.  
  
"But Ryou went home or something. How do we get him here to fix the problem before lunch is over?" For the guy who lifted out spirits seconds before, Yugi could sure send them crashing down again.  
  
"Tea." We all cringed and made faces, looking at Yami as though he had just declared that Seto Kaiba was a professional ballet dancer bent on making all men part of his troop of performers.  
  
"Care to fill us commoners in Pharaoh?"  
  
He ignored my sassy yami and turned to look at Yugi. "Doesn't she always carry a cell phone around with her, aibou?"  
  
"Hey, yeah, you're right." He began rummaging through a neon pink bag decorated with rainbows and unicorns. "Tea always has her cell in case some cute guy decides to call and profess his undying love to her."  
  
"Ugh, and I thought she kept it in case of family emergencies."  
  
"That's just what she tells people so they won't look at her with the same expressions you two are staring at me with."  
  
"We didn't need to know that much Yugi!" Yami smirked, I had to vigorously fight the urge to wipe it off his face with a certain bag.  
  
"Sorry." He removed his hand from the pink abyss producing a similarly colored phone covered with butterfly stickers and a large nameplate which read 'Friendship Phone.' And she expected someone to call her expressing their love? More like call to tell her that her phone service is cancelled and that they were going to hurl after hanging up.  
  
"So who's going to call?"  
  
"Hand it over, I will." I extended my hand expectantly. Ymai's face went from 'I was right' to 'You're going to mess this up.' Wow, such a vote of confidence. Yugi finally handed me the cell and I dialed, observing that the Pharaoh's number was programmed on speed dial one. The line rang five times before connecting.  
  
"Hello this is the Bakura residence..."  
  
"Hey Ryou, this is Malik-"  
  
"Unfortunately we are unavailable to answer the phone at this time.  
Please leave your name and number after the beep and we'll be sure to  
get back to you as soon as possible." The recording went then  
proceeded to give directions as to how to reach Ryou's father. Yami  
shook his head and I just rolled my eyes at him. Marik added his two  
cents with a snort towards the former Pharaoh as well.  
  
#Beep#  
  
"Hey Ryou, this is Malik. I guess you're not home which is a little  
weird considering your yami said you left. Anyway, speaking of Bakura,  
something's happened to him and-"  
  
#Click#  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Ryou? I guess you're home after all."  
  
"You said something about Bakura."  
  
"Yeah. It's hard to explain over the phone, but we need you here as soon as possible. Definitely before the school's lunch hour is over."  
  
"We?" Something in his voice changed but I couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, my instincts told me to be careful. With my free hand I caught Marik's attention.  
  
"What is it?" I shook my head and put a finger to my lips. He rolled his eyes at me.  
  
//What?//  
  
"Malik are you going to answer me?"  
  
/Listen in/  
  
//Why?//  
  
/Just do it!/  
  
//Fine//  
  
"We as in Yami, Yugi, Marik and I."  
  
"The Old King?"  
  
//Okay have we just entered The Twilight Zone?//  
  
/You watch too much TV/  
  
//Only because you do!//  
  
"Yeah, that Yami."  
  
"I'll be there in a few minutes." He hung up. Marik and I exchanged a glance before focusing back on the other two.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Something is wrong with Ryou."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
Marik zeroed in on Yami." The fact that he referred to you as 'The Old King'." Both halved of the millennium puzzle stared at us.  
  
"This must be what the Dark Magician was talking about." Yami just lives to point out the obvious doesn't he? "We have to be prepared for anything when Ryou arrives."  
  
I shook my head with exasperation and muttered a 'whatever'. Chucking the phone back to Yugi I began walking out of the room. "You go ahead and do that, in the meantime, I have to go sterilize my hand."  
  
---  
  
Twill: My, Yami was very arrogant, Yugi actually spoke and Malik had sarcastic thoughts. *shrugs* If any of you out there think is was a bit much, well, there's an explanation out there somewhere, er, there will be once I get it out of my head. ^^;  
  
Malichi: That shall never happen! Bwahahahaha!  
  
Twill: *kicks him off to be squished by various appliances* So, let me know your votes for a POV, or any other ideas you have (I love incorporating ideas so don't be afraid to tell me yours!). Otherwise, review, because that makes me updates extra super fast. -_-; 


	8. Remnants: Haunted by Shadow

Twill: Hey, I'm back! After a long stint of writer's block, I finally have an update. And it includes Yugi's point of view! The starting pov is left unnamed for a reason and I'm not going to say. If you'd like to guess, go ahead. I might even do something for the correct answer. There's also a bit of Bakura's pov, so you get to see what's happening with him. The plot's finally starting to take off into more action oriented stuff. I bet you're glad to hear that!  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, plots etc. She likes to think she does but she really doesn't  
  
Yaoi hints between a lot of people. I'm not so sure in which direction they're going. Your thoughts are welcome! ^^;  
  
---  
  
Remnants: Haunted by Shadow  
  
---  
  
Dreaming...  
  
Acres of sand stretched before my feet. A hot wind from the west stirred ripples through the vastness of the desert.  
  
I must be dreaming...  
  
A gigantic wall of sand swept toward me, enveloping my form with stinging particles and the roar of wind. It was madness. Pure and complete chaos whipped into a frenzied state with no purpose other than to be chaotic. I felt myself sinking deeper in this whirlwind of insanity and unable to pull myself free.  
  
Why was I dreaming?  
  
It was impossible to tell one direction from another. Up was left, left was right and down was any mixture of all other ways. They began to pull at me, forcing my already beaten body into a new sense of stress. My mind began to scream for air and space even when it knew there was no hope for these things. My fingers could feel the grains of sand sliding past them even when the rest of my body was completely numb. It was like stroking fine silk thread and salt together, a mix of smooth and rough blended together.  
  
How could I be dreaming?  
  
In a sudden rush of air and an explosion of force I was free. My feet stood firmly on packed sand and I could breathe again. There was no sign of the storm that had swept over me. For a moment, in disjointed confusion, I laughed and suspected I had imagined the whole thing. A dream created by the harsh sun and desert that surround me on all sides.  
  
Dreams within dreaming...  
  
My shadow stretched out before my bare feet and remained, a mirror image of my shape. It felt strange to look down upon it. A weight on my back seemed to be missing in this copy. A nagging voice inside my head spoke of finding truth. Which was real? The body in which my mind rested or this thin darkness in front of me? The peace then shattered and I was again beneath a crushing wall of sand, struggling to breathe and feel when neither was happening. I wanted out. I clawed for freedom. I begged for control and sense. I cried for relief.  
  
I continued dreaming.  
  
~*Elsewhere, Yugi's POV*~  
  
The air in the room was thick with apprehension. We all tensely waited for the arrival of Ryou or whatever we thought was Ryou. Yami brooded far off in a corner, casting dark glances at the door. He refused to talk to anyone, even me.  
  
Malik and his darkness were talking quietly close to Bakura's still unconscious form. I knew they were worried, as we all were. Yes, even Yami was worried though he'd never show it or admit it to anyone. It was hard to believe all that had happened in the past few hours. Everything we had all thought was safe was crumbling before our eyes and we didn't know how to stop it. Lunch hour was nearly over and there was still no sign of salvation. Usually I was optimistic, but now... It was difficult to be anything but quietly distressed. I tried my best though.  
  
"Cheer up guys. It could be worse." I winced mentally at how cheesy that sounded. It was a penalty I had to accept with trying to be the one looking on the bright side. I always sounded so sugary sweet. Even I got annoyed with myself at times.  
  
"How could it possibly be worse?" I was met with a half-hearted glare from Malik and sighed.  
  
"Well, the teacher or a student could walk in. We would have to explain why there are suddenly identical twins of us walking around and why 'Ryou' is out cold." I gestured to Bakura and watched Malik's shoulders drop. We both turned, though, when we heard the sounds of the door opening.  
  
"Oh great. Thanks for jinxing us Yugi."  
  
"Jinx? What are ya talkin' about?" The familiar blonde head of Jou poked its way in and I all but fainted from relief. He was shoved in as Honda made his way into the room and shut the door. They both paused and stared at Bakura on the desks. "What the heck happened ta him?" Yami snorted from his corner.  
  
"It's a very long story Jou. Basically, something's happening in the Shadow Realm and this world's in danger. Ryou and Bakura seem to be in the thick of it." I sat heavily in a chair and watched their reactions. Both paled when I mention the Shadow Realm but quickly recovered. Honda glared down at Bakura.  
  
"It seems we can never get a break. Just when things are going so well between me and Shizuka, the world starts to end!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Oh. Heh. Nothing buddy. I'm speaking for us all!"  
  
"Why I oughta..."  
  
"Will you two shut up!" All attention turned to Marik who was leaning against the window and staring outside. He had been very quiet since Malik had phoned Ryou and we'd figured something was wrong with him. I think he was like Yami; worried but unwilling to show it.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They took positions around the room, unsure of what else to do but unwilling to leave. The lot of us were never really close, all things considered. Jou and Honda were my friends more so than anyone else. Malik and I held a respect for each other. Yami knew how important my friends were to me and made sure they were safe but I didn't think he really thought of them as his friends, no matter how many times they said otherwise. Malik and Yami... it wasn't worth getting into. They didn't hate each other but they didn't like each other either. And then there was Marik. No one was really sure of what to think about him. Ryou and Bakura had been a sort of glue that held us all together and away from each other's throats. Okay, so Ryou more than Bakura, but it was still the same. With them either out of commission or under difficult circumstances, we were slowly falling apart.  
  
Jou cleared his throat. "Would someone mind filling us in a little more on what's going on?"  
  
"We're screwed royally." I just shook my head and looked at my two closest friends, completely ignoring Malik's comment.  
  
"Sure. We have some time before Ryou's due to show up."  
  
"Wait a moment, you mean that isn't Ryou?" It was an obvious attempt at humor on Jou's part as he tried to lighten the mood. We could all see it wasn't sincere and yet we all laughed anyway.  
  
~Shadow Realm, Bakura's POV~  
  
Growling I slammed my fist down on the table I was currently sitting at. I wanted information and it wasn't being provided! Glaring across at the one I wanted answers from I growled my question again. "When will I get my memory back?" He frowned apologetically and fed me the same answer, that he didn't know. "Or you don't want me to remember."  
  
"I'm not sure what brought about this sudden suspicion, but I speak the truth. I don't know what caused you to forget and I don't know how to fix the problem." The elf rested his head in one hand and regarded me calmly. I continued to glare as my mind continued to churn. It was true, a sudden instinct had kicked in and I was wary of both this elf and this home. Every fiber of my being screamed that something was wrong and I needed to get out. I was trying to figure out what was causing this feeling and why I was so attuned to danger. I even suspected myself of something that I couldn't place.  
  
"Fine. I'll accept that for now." My eyes wouldn't stop flicking from place to place around the room. It was if my body and my mind were working independently of themselves. "Where did Dark go?"  
  
"He didn't say anywhere specific. All I know is he was going to search for allies in this brewing war." Something clicked and I finally rested my gaze on him. He was lying. In the mere minutes it had taken for him to enter from outside the front door and take a seat, something in him had changed. We locked gazes and I knew for certain. Something in his eyes was too confident for my liking. He knew I was at a disadvantage and practically trapped.  
  
"When will he be back?"  
  
"It's hard to say. Could be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks." His smile, while reassuring on the surface, gloated some sort of success. It was if he was shouting 'Never! Dark will never return!'. I wondered, idly, how long the elf had been this way. I wondered if Dark knew.  
  
"How do I get my memories back?"  
  
He frowned. "I told you I don't know. Nothing's changed since you first asked me."  
  
Sliding my chair back slowly I smirked without fully realizing it. "Oh but something has. And that something's your disposition. Why are you so confident? Are your traitorous friends on their way to pick me up? Do you think you honestly have me trapped?" He stiffened and stood, the guise of calm falling away. His hand immediately went for his weapon as I prepared myself for what I knew was to come.  
  
"You yourself told me I was weak. I guess this is just proof." His sword sliced the table in half. I didn't flinch.  
  
"You are weak and so I will not be beaten. And when Dark returns, you will be sent to a place far more terrible than the graveyard of duels." He paused and seemed to struggle with raising his arm for another blow. The mention of his friend seemed to be the cause of this. I stored this information away for later. "I will be leaving now."  
  
"Not likely. You will either leave here in chains or not at all. You have been deemed expendable." He swung again but I had already started moving.  
  
"On who's authority?" I dodged and began moving toward the door.  
  
"My Master." He pursued, but slowly. If given more time I would've paused to wonder why but my adrenaline was pumping fast. All reason was quickly draining as instinct took over.  
  
"The Pharaoh?!"  
  
"No. Your favorite." Leaping back to avoid another blow, I tripped and fell backwards out the door. I stared at the feet of several monsters before looking up. A squat purple lizard and a strangely elfin fiend blocked my only path to freedom. Now I understood why the elf's attacks had lacked emphasis. He knew I was doomed. Cursing hotly I shoved myself to my feet and prepared to fight. I was knocked unconscious before I could even register the blow. The elf had hit me with the flat of his blade.  
  
~*Elsewhere, Yugi's POV*~  
  
"So there you have it."  
  
"Wow. And why weren't we informed earlier?" I smiled nervously in the face of Honda's irritation. He settled down quickly and seemed to answer it himself. "So we have to be prepared for the possibility of war?"  
  
"Pretty much." The thought was not at all comforting. My stomach flip- flopped just at the mention of the word.  
  
"You know, you aren't going to be able to keep your other halves secret anymore."  
  
"Unless, genius, we prevent war from happening." I shot Malik an annoyed look which he didn't seem to get. I valued his input and everything, but he could get annoying with his rudeness. On closer reflection, I supposed I was like that too in my own way. I shrugged.  
  
"Do you have any plans blondie?"  
  
"You wouldn't understand them mutt."  
  
"Better a dog than a weasel."  
  
"Whatever you say shark-head."  
  
"Enough!" Everyone stared at me, some slightly surprised, others annoyed, some impassive and sulking. That would be Yami. "This isn't the time to be arguing. We have other things to be worrying about, so get a hold of yourselves!" It wasn't until after I'd finished did I see the new person in the room.  
  
"Oh my, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." We all looked with shock at a very bedraggled looking Ryou who was standing just inside the door. His hair was wild, his clothing disheveled and his eyes tired. It was if he'd just woken up from a deep sleep and walked through a windstorm. Something was definitely off, though. This wasn't completely Ryou who stood before us. I silently hoped the others wouldn't let on until we knew more. It was then Yami stepped forward from his corner.  
  
"Hello Ryou."  
  
---  
  
Twill: There you go. It's a little shorter than usual, but still good I think. I'll try to update faster but with school going, my writer's block unpredictable and three/four other fics going, it's hard to say. Reviews help though ^___^ Let me know what you think and who you'd like me to delve into the thoughts of. Anyone's up for grabs at this point! 


	9. Weighted Shoulders: Reality Falls

Twill: Here we are, chapter nine. One line of plot is resolved, yay! And this has a new POV, though I don't think I did it very well. I probably won't use it again either. Plans for chapter ten are already formulating in my mind, and will probably include Yami's perspective, as well as events escalating. Though, with the addition of my new fic, Wonderland, to my other projects, it's hard to say when an update will come out. Reviews help to make the decision though *winks*  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its plots, characters etc. She likes to think she does, but really doesn't.  
  
Yaoi hints, not so much in this chapter. I still need to decide on where they're going. So, I'll chalk it up to active male hormones ^^;  
  
---  
  
Weighted Shoulders: Reality Falls  
  
---  
  
~*Shadow Realm, Bakura's POV*~  
  
The road was long. I had been walking for what seemed like days but was more realistically something like hours. No breaks, no water, no talking. The crude ropes they had looped around my wrists and torso to keep me from bolting did nothing to help. All this mindless marching was beginning to grate on my nerves! If I had something to think about, perhaps I would've been in a better mood. As it was, gaping holes and missing pieces were not amusing.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" The fifth time I had asked this question the two had given the ropes around my wrists a sharp tug. I couldn't feel my hands anymore. The squat purple lizard turned and leveled a glare.  
  
"You will see soon enough." Its voice (I couldn't tell if it was male or female) was more of a hiss than an average person's speech. It seemed to have problems with its s's too, pronouncing them as 'ssss' instead of one s. I snorted and fought the urge to kick it. Something nagging in my black hole of a mind told me it wasn't a good idea.  
  
"I want to know now."  
  
"You are being taken to a recruitment camp." I looked at the other, an elfin fiend, who had a strangely soft voice. The lizard shot it a poisonous look but said nothing. Hmm. So it seemed I wasn't supposed to be humored. Interesting.  
  
"Recruitment for what?"  
  
"Silence! It is not your affair spirit!" A rough jerk on my bond sent me sprawling into the dirt. I grunted on impact and spitted the grit from my mouth.  
  
"Big mistake." I scrambled to my feet and slammed myself into the little runt, watching in satisfaction as I landed atop it and it groaned in pain. "That will teach you-" I was cut off as a spasm of pain shot through me body. I saw sparks jumping between my fingers as they twitched involuntarily. I stifled a sound of pain and turned it into a growl instead.  
  
"That will teach *you* not to mess with the Electric Lizard. All who do get a little surprise of their own." It shoved me off and laughed in its high pitched little way. I wanted nothing more, right then, than to cram my fist down its throat. I settled for cursing. "Tut tut, such a potty mouth."  
  
"Shove it."  
  
"Shove you? Why certainly!" A scaly, smelly, stinkin' purple foot found its way onto my face just as two blue-ish hands found their way to my shoulders in a strong grip. Picture if you will an image of myself being firmly propped up from behind while a foot is being slammed into my face. I could almost hear the bones in my neck being ground into powder. "Let go of him!"  
  
"Get off me both of you!"  
  
There was a momentary standoff before I was pulled backward smoothly and set on my feet. The lizard toppled over with a rather satisfying 'thump'. The hands withdrew. I looked over at the fiend who just stared impassively into space in return. My mind buzzed away wanting me to remember but lacking resources to complete this action. With a weary sigh I waited for our journey to continue. I didn't have long to wait as the lizard jerked me forward and set a new, swifter pace. The fiend, though, walked along beside me, instead of behind as before.  
  
~*Elsewhere, Jou's POV*~  
  
Let it be known that Katsuya Jounouchi is not as slow-witted as everyone seems to think. I followed along quite well when Yugi explained the situation he was in. I understood the danger we all were in. And yet, when I saw Ryou framed in the doorway, none of it seemed real. I felt like I was dreaming, or watching some sort of movie. These things couldn't happen in real life to average people like me...could they?  
  
"Hello Ryou." Yami stepped forward, arms crossed over his chest. He seemed almost carved from stone; every action was rigid and stern. The tension in the room thickened. Ryou smiled hesitantly, obviously picking up on the vibes Yami was broadcasting. He cast a few looks to the others, myself included. His gaze, however, lingered longest on the nearly still form of Bakura. "We're glad you were feeling well enough to come and help us."  
  
"I'm alright, I guess." He took a few steps towards his other half. Personally, I still found it a bit strange thinking about Marik, Yami and Bakura as part of two of my good friends and an acquaintance. "So what happened?"  
  
"He-" Yugi was cut off by Yami, who seemed to have chosen himself as our speaker.  
  
"An entity from the Shadow Realm used him as a host to try and attack Malik," Yami gestured back at the blonde who was perched on the teacher's overlarge desk. "The millennium items were used to try and banish this entity, but the attempt failed. Instead Bakura's mind was sent to the Shadow Realm, while the other presence was given a physical form." Ryou seemed to perk up at this news. Others seemed confused; they hadn't known that Bakura's mind was in the Shadow Realm. I was curious as to why we needed Ryou, then, if Yami had already figured out what had happened.  
  
"Do you know what was possessing him?"  
  
"Yes. It was Malik's favorite duel monster." There was a heavy silence as Ryou struggled to remain calm. A smile was trying to force its way onto his lips, while obvious amusement danced in his eyes. I had been told that Ryou wasn't himself, and this seemed the icing on the cake. He never would have found any sort of happiness from such distressing news.  
  
"How horrible. Did he escape?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Unfortunate." Ryou stepped a few paces closer to Bakura. "What is it you need me to do?" He closed the remaining distance and sat in an empty chair.  
  
"Tell me where Bakura's mind is at the moment and if it is whole." Without hesitation or needing to ask how or why, Ryou closed his eyes. The ring sitting on his chest began to glow softly. Malik and Marik moved closer.  
  
"Alright, now that he's in a trance, do you mind filling us in on what your plan is oh mighty Pharaoh?" Marik sneered.  
  
"It isn't your concern."  
  
"Ryou's my friend, and Marik is my yami, therefore it is his concern. Along with everyone else in this room." Yami turned to face Malik, shooting him such a dark glance that the blonde Egyptian recoiled slightly. No reply was given.  
  
"Bakura's mind is fragmented, but is pulling itself back together slowly. He's in a valley surrounded by dragons. His company seems to be that of a fiend and a lizard but not for much longer."  
  
~*Shadow Realm, Bakura's POV*~  
  
"Are we there yet?? My head was pounding and my feet ached. It was an hour since the scuffle between both of my 'companions' had taken place. No one had said anything in all that time. My question went unanswered as we crested the hill we were climbing and I managed to respond to my own query.  
  
In a depression, a valley of sorts, there stood rows of shambling huts. The ground was dry and trampled completely flat. Small monsters of various types drifted between cabins or lay sprawled on the earth. My mouth ran dry just looking at it.  
  
"Welcome, scum, to your new home. Perhaps you'll come to realize that serving in the barracks isn't a bad way to live. Who knows? Maybe you'll be drafted." The lizard laughed loudly which sounded like a high whine. The fiend remained silent at my side.  
  
"Drafted for what?"  
  
"What do you think, filth? For war of course! We're taking the human world. The revolution is at hand. Soon monsters shall reign supreme over both lands." It jerked on the ropes binding my wrists. I, unprepared, stumbled forward clumsily and bumped into its purple scales. In less than a second, a jolt of electricity shot through the cells of my already worn body. I cursed loudly. "No touching. Now come on." We resumed trudging mindlessly. My headache was getting worse with each step and I began to feel uneasy. Something was about to happen and soon.  
  
~*Elsewhere, Jou's POV*~  
  
We all stared at Ryou, still with his eyes shut and ring glowing. He seemed completely relaxed and for a moment I believed that was truly Ryou sitting in front of us, instead of whatever had taken his form. Yami regained his composure and spoke, again for all of our behalves it seemed.  
  
"Where is he headed?"  
  
The reply was airy and soft, "A recruitment camp."  
  
"For what purpose?"  
  
"To be ravaged with pain until he becomes the perfect soldier."  
  
"For whom?"  
  
"Don't know."  
  
"What is the strongest presence there?"  
  
"Lots of dragons hidden all around... though their protector, I suppose, is far greater." Ryou laughed lightly, like he was about to fall asleep. "His favorite dark one is with him too." My head was spinning. I may not have been as dull as I let on to be, but I was certainly having a hard time with all these riddles and half answers. Yami seemed to know exactly what was being said. He paused for thought before glancing sharply at Yugi. His hikari, in turn, jumped slightly and nodded. The former king then closed his eyes as well and seemed to fall into the same state as Ryou.  
  
"Yami wants us to keep asking questions to preoccupy Ryou's mind. He hopes in this way, whatever is lurking there will be too distracted to notice what he's doing," Yugi said softly.  
  
"And what exactly is he doing?"  
  
"Trying to recover Bakura's mind." Marik snapped to focused attention and grabbed the rod from Malik's hand.  
  
"Not without help he isn't. There's no way Yami's getting to be the hero this time around."  
  
~*Shadow Realm, Bakura's POV*~  
  
As we drew closer, I could see that a mesh of thin wire surrounded the hovels. Sharp enough, no doubt, to slice a limb clean off. Those already inside drifted closer to see just who was coming to join their little party. I didn't plan on giving them the chance.  
  
With a quick jerk to one side, I yanked the rope lead out of the squat lizard's little claws. Without thinking or giving either of my 'companions' time to recover, I took of straight back the way we had come. There was forest on either side of the path as I charged up it. I entertained the thought of losing my pursuers there, but dismissed it for fear of getting lost myself. Heavy footfalls sounded behind me. It appeared I had little choice. Veering sharply to my right, I submerged myself into the dappled darkness of the trees. Branches grabbed at my limbs, scratched my face and made progress generally annoying, but I was still moving at a decent pace. The spindly shapes of trees and bushes soon became a blur as my feet pounded the ground. I soon lost myself to the rhythm.  
  
When I finally slowed to get my bearings I discovered there were none to get. I was completely lost. At least I had left my pursuer behind. There was no sound coming from any direction. It was far too quiet.  
  
WHUMP  
  
A large concussion rippled through the earth I stood on. I nearly lost my balance as something incredibly heavy became to move, I assumed in my direction.  
  
WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP  
  
I could now hear a fainter sound, one that was constant. It was a low rumble, almost a purr. Whatever was stomping around was making this noise continuously, probably subconsciously. I looked around trying to pinpoint the direction of all the sounds.  
  
WHUMP rrrr WHUMP rrrr WHUMP rrr  
  
A sudden crash and I faced the creature. A gigantic, ice white dragon stood, snorting and purring between two trees, several others laid at its feet. Its wings rustled in agitation, the blue veins making them seem to be spider's webs. It arched its orange stripe of a neck, eyeing me. I stood firm but was wary of the three horns on its head- on protruding from its nose and one above each eye- as well as its chiseled claws. It did not seem happy.  
  
"HHHRROOOOOOA!"  
  
Not happy at all. I spun on my heels and took off sprinting through the woods once more. I could feel as well as hear its pounding steps behind me. What was I thinking? This was a dragon, one I could not even identify. I was as good as dead; no one can escape a dragon when it's after prey. Cursing I began to weave between ashen trunks all the while hoping for a miracle.  
  
Little did I know she was watching my every move...  
  
In a tongue I could not identify, something that sounded like clicks, growls and other sounds, what I could only assume were words began to rain down upon me the beast giving chase. There was a scuffling noise behind me and I spared a quick glance over one shoulder. The dragon had skidded to a halt and was looking into the trees. I followed its gaze to see a slight humanoid figure perched on a branch. He, she. they said something else and the dragon departed.  
  
"You've never been through here have you?" Definitely a feminine voice.  
  
"What of it?"  
  
"If you had, you'd know to stay on the paths."  
  
"I didn't exactly have a choice."  
  
"So I noticed." I walked closer but couldn't seem to make out any more of her appearance. This frustrated me. "You're welcome for the help by the way."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I would have been fine."  
  
"Sure." She shifted her position on the branch. For a moment I almost though she would fall. "You came from the camp didn't you?"  
  
"You already know that."  
  
"This brewing war is causing my dragon's trouble. I don't agree with the Change of Heart's goals at all, but because the Dragon Ra's involved... I don't have much choice sometimes." As soon as the Change of Heart was mentioned, I completely tuned her words out. Something inside just clicked into place. I found I knew who I was, who the people I could initially remember were. I felt almost sick, or something, knowing I had felt safe in the presence of the insufferable Pharaoh. I must have been in worse condition than I thought... I could remember everything, and coupled with what had happened in the last while, I had a new understanding of the situation.  
  
Then the sky tore in half.  
  
I shielded my eyes quickly as bright light poured down from above. I instinctively knew this wasn't a part of the Shadow Realm, but couldn't be sure exactly what it was. A force began to tug at me. I was gradually lifted skyward; getting a brief complete look at my savior before the light completely engulfed my vision. The next thing I saw was the relieved faces of Malik, Marik and Yugi. The Pharaoh's face was indescribable. The mutt friend of theirs and the fin head were also present, somewhat surprised. I slid off the desks which had served as a makeshift bed for my motionless body. Marik was asking me questions, but I didn't hear them. The bell had just rung...  
  
And I had just noticed Ryou next to where I stood.  
  
---  
  
Twill: Voila! Another chapter of the gang's adventures. I'm open to suggestions to pov's, since I'm tending to use more than one. Also, if you would like any characters to make an appearance, just mention them in your review and I'll try to include them. There's at least one other to be included. Let's see if you can guess who ~.^ 


	10. Pandora's Box: Secrets in the Open

Twill: Chapter ten at long last. And LOOK! *points to reviews* I'm only one away from one hundred! It's really amazing... I never thought that I'd ever, EVER have gotten here. And with this fic that all started with one wee little idea that decided to jump in my brain in the middle of the night.. Thanks a bunch for liking this fic! I mentioned Yami's pov in the last chapter, but I couldn't make it work. However, he will most likely be in eleven, along with whoever else you would like. I have most of the rest of this week off, and I hope to come up with some more updates!  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its plots, characters etc. She likes to think she does, but really doesn't.  
  
Okay! There are some bigger-than-normal hintings of yaoi. I think I've officially decided where I'm going with this. I'll let you know at the end of the chapter, in case you don't notice it in the story.  
  
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Chapter Ten: Pandora's Box: Secrets in the Open  
  
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~*Marik's POV*~  
  
Bakura's mind was recovered without incident, though when he woke up he seemed dazed. I was concerned that something had happened to him while wandering around the Shadow Realm, but knew better than to ask. Besides, Bakura had practically written the book on the place! He probably suffered from nothing more than boredom.  
  
"Enjoy your trip?" He peered around the room without comprehending my question. "You feeling alright?" The only response was the school bell ringing, ending lunch. Who made it so loud? It seemed to knock Bakura back to his senses, as he oriented on Ryou and stared with an unreadable expression. They just looked at each other while the hallways outside filled with noise.  
  
"Uh, guys, we're not going to be alone for much longer." Honda stood and went to hold the door shut. Jou moved the desks back into place while the rest of us did nothing but watch Bakura and his hikari. It was strange to see them looking at each other with nearly identical expressions. For a moment, it was hard to distinguish between the pair. But I pride myself on always knowing Bakura.  
  
"So what happens now?" Yugi wondered. He was looking at the baka Pharaoh as if he knew anything. I'll admit he was useful in getting Bakura back but beyond that I didn't think he was worth the breath to talk to. Besides, he always expressed his opinion anyway.  
  
Bakura's gaze intensified as he began to glare down Ryou. My own hikari fidgeted with the tension, torn between doing something or remaining quiet. There were knocks at the door. Yami disappeared without a word and I sighed with frustration. "One of you two is going to have to go into the Ring. Sometime soon would be nice too." I figured Bakura would happily take the chance to retreat to where he didn't have to explain anything to anyone. But he didn't budge. That meant Ryou would be giving up his body for Bakura then right? Wrong. "Bakura..."  
  
"Marik, you and are going to talk outside. Now." Bakura turned suddenly, grabbed me by the arm and strode to the door. He pushed past Honda, threw open the door and barged through the students waiting to get in. Everything happened so fast that I doubt anyone really saw who had left. Behind us I could hear muttering as the other kids filed in and took their seats. I'd hear about it later from Malik, no doubt. To myself, I rolled my eyes.  
  
Once outside the building, Bakura released his hold on my arm but continued walking down the street. I quickened my pace to keep up with him. We just walked in silence for a few blocks until finally he spoke.  
  
"What the hell is going on?"  
  
"Well, Mr. Sunshine, you tried to jump Malik and then blacked out." I gave him a flat look. "Or don't you remember that?"  
  
"Finish answering my question." He refused to look in my direction, instead staring hard at the sidewalk just ahead of us. I placed my hands behind my head and continued talking.  
  
"We found out that hikari's card, Ra, was trying to get to him." I frowned. "So there was this lovely plan to banish the presence in your mind back to where it came from. Unfortunately, it backfired and it was given a body, which took off."  
  
"Look at the messes you get into without me. Probably the Pharaoh's fault."  
  
"Probably." I could still see Ra's demonic grinning. Why had he been after Malik? "Anyway, you'll never guess who else was running around in your mind." When Bakura didn't say anything I figured he couldn't guess after all. "The Dark Magician."  
  
Bakura suddenly laughed out loud. He continued grinning for a few minutes afterward. "I bet that was a kick in His royal pants." I chuckled and nodded. "So what else?" I filled him in and then silence fell again. A few moments later, I recognized the street we were on. Not too far from where we currently were was Ryou's home. I guessed that was where we were headed. Finally Bakura looked at me, his old cocky self-assured attitude back in place. "You would not believe what happened to me."  
  
"Oh no? I had to witness the dreaded 'friendship phone'. I thought something like that was only urban legend. Try me." He unlocked the door and was just about to prove me wrong, I assumed, when we both forgot everything as something slapped us in the face.  
  
The house *reeked*.  
  
"Have you been trying to cook again Bakura?" I choked and held a hand over my nose. He was too preoccupied with the horrible stink to bother glaring at me. We split up, trying to figure out just what had spoiled or died. He took upstairs, I took ground level. Nothing in the kitchen, living room or various closets. I pushed open the half closed bathroom door and flicked on the light, now expecting to see anything out of the ordinary. It was probably just a dead bird or some spoiled food in Bakura's room (he sure could be messy). Sadly, I was horribly, terribly wrong. In pools on the floor, splattered on the walls and other places was exactly the kind of thing that would create such a smell, especially since it seemed less than fresh.  
  
Blood. Slightly dull, but very real.  
  
I shut the door and backed away, trying to get some clean air into my lungs. Then I hollered for Bakura who appeared minutes later. Mutely I just pointed. Normally blood would not cause me to react in such a way, as I had witnessed it many times before, within my mind and without. But this was something in Bakura's home. He was my closest, heck only, friend. And of course there was Ryou...  
  
For a long time Bakura just stood in the doorway staring. The stench wasn't so bad once you got used to it. I got a hold of myself, muttering at my stupid reaction and stepped forward to look at the morbid scene behind Bakura. "Who's do you think it is?" I blurted out the first thing on my mind.  
  
"Ryou... all this has to belong to Ryou. But he can't have this much in him. He's so thin and pale and fragile. And I just saw him, fine and healthy... Didn't I? He would tell me if something happened. I know he would. Even if he thought I hated him, he would." Bakura was babbling. His knuckles were ghostly white from clenching the doorknob. At this moment, I would have given anything to know what was going through his head. Blood should not be making either of us, lest of all Bakura, act so strangely.  
  
"Bakura," I said calmly. He glanced at me sharply. "I think we should go back outside." I grabbed his arm, fought with his death-grip on the door and then dragged him to the front doorstep. He went without comment or resistance, once I had managed to wrestle the knob away from him. I myself was feeling vaguely disoriented and even a little nauseous. Once in the cooler air my head began to clear. Apparently so did Bakura's.  
  
"What the hell just happened?" He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. I ran a hand through my hair, unsure of what to say. "All I could think about was Ryou. And most of those memories were from before... But all of that, it had to be his." He scowled, although not with his usual intensity.  
  
I shook my head. "It can't have been his."  
  
"Then who else? Some street rat," he smiled bitterly, "decided to waltz into the bathroom to bleed?" He sneered. "As likely as that is, Marik, I doubt it."  
  
I stifled any aggravated reaction I might've had. "Think about it for a second would you? If Ryou had been that hurt, I doubt he would be able to walk much less go to school to save you. And blood doesn't mess with people's heads like that stuff did." Bakura merely snorted and headed back inside. I cursed at his back in Egyptian and followed in case I'd have to pull him out again. The smell wasn't as bad when I re-entered. In fact, it was sort of sweet now.  
  
I was wondering what had caused the change when I rounded the corner to the hall where the bathroom was. Bakura was sprawled on the floor, one thin line of his own blood trailing from the side of his mouth. I rushed forward. The smell became sickly sweet, stifling. I almost thought I could feel it pressing against me. I didn't care. Something was going on and it was certainly the last thing anyone needed. And Bakura had just gotten back from the Shadow Realm. He wouldn't be completely up to strength. But before I could reach his fallen form, I felt myself tipping forward, drowning in a fog that seemed to pour from the bathroom. I couldn't see, couldn't breathe.  
  
I hit the floor and tried desperately to get air into my lungs.  
  
~* Malik's POV*~  
  
It was strange to sit through the afternoon classes with Ryou while knowing it probably wasn't him dutifully taking notes and paying complete attention to the teacher while the rest of us daydreamed or dozed off. Even stranger was the fact I hadn't heard from Marik since he'd disappeared with Bakura almost two hours ago. I just assumed they must have a lot to talk about. Or they were getting into trouble. Either was quite plausible really, though my money would be on the latter.  
  
When the final bell rung I struggled through the surging students trying to leave towards where I knew Yugi's locker was. He wasn't there when I showed up so I waited with hopes that he hadn't left already. The blonde dog walked by as I leaned casually against the wall and told me Yugi'd already gone back to his game shop to help out his grandfather. I shrugged and walked away.  
  
"Well you're welcome!" I heard him shout after me. On my way out I was rudely shoved to the side by a tall brunette. I had half a mind to use the rod on him but decided against it. I had a lot to tell my sister, Isis, if she was home.  
  
What a day this had been!  
  
As I walked down the streets, now devoid of student life, I replayed everything that had happened. And still I was clueless as to what everything meant, why it was even happening. It wasn't fair that Marik was getting answers from Bakura while I was left in the dark. No doubt my yami wouldn't even tell me. It was all so frustrating.  
  
But Yami seemed to have some sort of handle on what was happening... I altered my path and stared walking to the game shop where I was sure to find the arrogant baka. He would tell me a few things or he'd be having a very personal experience with my rod. It didn't just control minds after all.  
  
It was only after a few moments of silent walking that I realized *everything* was quiet. There were no cards rushing down the streets, no one walking ahead or behind me on either side of the road. There weren't even any of the normal bird songs from the trees. It was eerily still, with only my footsteps breaking the peace. I quickened, not feeling very comfortable all of a sudden. I felt almost vulnerable...  
  
A twig snapped behind me and I whirled around sharply, rod instantly in my hand. There was nothing there. I relaxed, feeling ridiculous. What was I worried about? There was nothing out here for me to worry about.  
  
Another sound of movement to my left.  
  
Or was there?  
  
I tried to find out what kept making me jump with little luck. Every time I thought I had it, another sound from a different direction would make me whirl around to peer into shadows and darkness I was sure my mind over exaggerated.  
  
"Whoever's there... Show yourself or you're in for a lot of trouble!" I glared around hoping to find some pathetic jock trying to play a joke. Someone did appear and began to walk out of the shadows. When light hit his face, I wasn't looking at a football player.  
  
I stared at a grin full of sharp, glinting teeth.  
  
~*Marik's POV*~  
  
My head was pounding and my chest burned. I was still lying on the carpet just outside the bathroom in Ryou's home. I had been for the past few hours. I was completely helpless; I couldn't move any part of my body nor could I reach out to my hikari via our mind link. What was more, disturbing images kept trying to take my attention away from anything that wasn't them. From the small sounds next to me, I figured Bakura was experiencing something similar. What the hell was going on?  
  
"Ma-rik." I wanted to look over to him. Wanted to, but couldn't. None of my muscles would obey me. I was stuck flat on my stomach and nothing I could do would change that. "Ma-rik?" His voice was oddly quiet. I could vaguely remember a time when it had always been like that, before everything changed. Damn, I couldn't let myself get distracted.  
  
"Hey, Kura." It took a lot of will just to get two words out of my slack mouth. It was different too, but I couldn't place my finger on how.  
  
"Today's hot." I frowned to myself. We were in his house. How was it hot? But now that he mentioned it...  
  
"Yeah." I could feel myself baking under a very familiar sun. The carpet swam before my eyes, almost like a mirage. "Oasis?" I knew that the best place to beat the heat, was at a shady little spot close, but still quite a ways from, the Pharaoh's palace.  
  
"Maybe Yami will be there."  
  
I snapped my eyes open. There was no way in any realm Bakura was hopeful of seeing Yami. No chance. I coughed and tried to get the blasted sweetness out of my senses. It didn't work very well. I tried to figure out some way to do something, anything for that matter. With a supreme effort and managed to turn my head just enough to see Bakura. His eyes were half- lidded and the blood trickling from the side of his mouth hadn't stopped. Oddly, he was smiling. It was small, but it was there. I panted.  
  
As I tried to regain my breath I began coughing. What was worse, it wouldn't stop. As soon as I'd clear my lungs, more of the blasted stink would flood in and choke me again. I convulsed violently, clenching my eyes closed and pain flowed up my throat. Something coppery filled my mouth as I continued coughing, and I could feel the slightest something slide down from my nose to my upper lip. My head pounded, my chest ached and my throat burned. But still I continued coughing.  
  
It felt as though my lungs were on fire, slowly melting. I wanted to writhe in pain, to get up and leave this foul hallway. Most of all, I wanted to be able to call to Malik. "Hikari..." I was having trouble keeping any air in my lungs. Black spots danced in front of my eyes.  
  
"...Malik"  
  
---  
  
Twill: Hiya! Well it was a bit shorted than I'd hoped but still good right? And I said I'd tell you the pairings, so, without further adieu, they are Malik/Marik and Ryou/Bakura. I'm thinking it's going to be mostly fluff but who's to say? Any other possible pairings are in debate right now. Oh! Did anyone catch the hint towards one of the other possible pairings? I bet someone did. Take a guess and we'll see what happens! I've got a bunch of requests for other character appearances, so I'll try to include 'em. And any wanted pov's, I wanna know! It makes it easier for me 'cause I don't have to make the decision myself ^^;; R&R!! 


	11. Captured Castle: The Final Key Dissolved

Twill: OO Holy bazooka! I'm over one hundred reviews! WOW. I never thought I'd reach this far. This is so cool! runs around the room with a big smile, giggling I'm very, very, VERY flattered that everyone has enjoyed this so much! And I'm amazed, stupefied and flabbergasted. THANK YOU ALL! coughs Okay. I should get on with what I have to say right?  
  
Cast: Right!  
  
Twill: I have finally included Yami's POV! I'm not sure if he's very interesting- I rather like using him in third person-y style- but hey, if you like how he turned out then maybe I'll use him again! And the plot's moving forward again! You finally get a bit of a hint as to why Ryou's been targeted, and what the Change of Heart's plan is. I'll explain why Bakura and Marik are on the floor in the next chapter ;  
  
Bakura: About time. You need to update more.  
  
Twill: shoves him back into the cast bag I do apologize with how long this took to get updated, but I was working on all my other stories ; and all the fun stuff in a normal life. Please forgive me! Okay. Next item on my list of stuff to say... Draggy was right about the fourth (it's fourth right? checks Yep) pairing that was hinted at last chapter, when Malik left the school. Go check her review if you really want to know, or you can just wait and see. Okay! That's all. Now you can read!  
  
Seth: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its plots, characters etc. She likes to think she does, but really doesn't.  
  
//I have nothing to say// = yami thoughts  
  
/Can I speak?/ = hikari thoughts  
  
Listen to my words = Change of Heart speech/thoughts  
  
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Captured Castle: The Final Key Dissolved  
  
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Ryou's POV  
  
I could bear it no longer. I was starved for oxygen and had been for what seemed like eternity. It had been so long that I had lost all sense of time and space. Which way was up? Left? Where was freedom? In this place of madness and twisted reality I could no longer judge where I should expect release to come from.  
  
Though I had dreamed of this same place not long before, the waking world it turned out to be was far worse. I wished I had remained dreaming, for while it may have been hard to bear, at least it was not impossible. I had relief from the sand and crushing darkness when I dreamed. Here, I was left to scream in silence. What I would give to bake under the harsh desert sun. At least then I could see the sky. I greatly missed that ocean of blue.  
  
What had I done to deserve this? Was it how I looked or acted? Or could it be because of Bakura? Perhaps I was being punished because of him. It wouldn't be the first time. But what crime deserved this silent grave of pressure and confusion? Wait... am I floating? It's the strangest sensation, to be trapped with no way to escape and yet feel as though you're drifting away. I had so many questions and only myself to ask them.  
  
Hours, days, years, I couldn't tell how old I was anymore. I couldn't remember what air tasted like nor if there was any sensation in the world that wasn't a numb, crushing pain like the breath of life being stolen from you just as you inhale. Names floated in my consciousness now, and I couldn't remember the faces they were attached to. No, that wasn't true. I could still see one face and I knew the name that belonged to him. Bakura. The other half of my soul. He wasn't cursed to ancient sands for all eternity. He was somewhere with friends, my friends, living it up without a care. I was serving his time. I was acting as prisoner in a too-real game of cops and robbers. And I wanted out.  
  
'I would give anything to see the sky again.'  
  
I felt a hotness trail down my cheeks. At least they were still there; I had lost track of my body long ago. So I was crying. Crying for him, and his fate that I had to bear. It was strange to me, then, to realize I was crying because of some nameless face. But he was the cause of my suffering, wasn't he? Then why was I crying? I felt some deep...longing. He and I, it was wrong for us to be far apart. And it was wrong for me to be here. So very wrong...  
  
But why did it matter? I knew that his face, the only one I could clearly remember now, was important. He had to relate to me somehow, I knew it, I felt it. The only thing I was now... trapped. So then, what did that make him? My guard? My executioner? For this could only be hell after death.  
  
'What color is the sky?'  
  
Ah, the reason was clear to me now. I knew this face, this haunting yet beautiful face, because it was burned into my mind. The only way for that to be true, was if he had done something worth remembering. Strange that I couldn't remember the deed, but I could remember him. But he, this face, was the sole reason for my pain. I ached now, not only my chest from the weight of the world, but from a burning fire within. Yes, he was my pain. My heart throbbed and then fell still in a silent hum. The burning faded and I became numb. At least I couldn't feel the pain anymore. That was nice.  
  
Where was I? I couldn't remember anything except darkness. Why was I here? I couldn't remember that either. My mind screamed that it had known, not long ago, but that knowledge had been lost. Nothing remained of my identity now. Nothing mattered anymore. There was no hope of ever finding the way out. I might as well lay here, the bitter taste of sand the only reminder I was here at all. What was my name anyway? Maybe that was why I was here... I was someone undeserving of life and so condemned to spend my existence in a hole of nothingness.  
  
'There is no sky.'  
  
Yami's POV  
  
My soul room was strangely quiet when I entered. Though used to strained silences, I could feel there was something unnatural about this. It was as if my ancient memories were straining against their seals to remind me of something crucial. And it had something to do with what was happening.  
  
Already I had felt as though the circumstances were oddly familiar. And as such I had followed my instincts on how to act when recovering the thief and dealing with his possessed hikari. There was no denying that Ryou was not himself, but rather an entity not to be taken lightly. I had told Yugi only part of what I was certain, but it would not be long before he would figure it out for himself. Or wrestle it out of me with his darned pout.  
  
I sighed.  
  
My footsteps echoed hollowly off the many twining staircases and passageways that littered what you might call my mind. Even after the trials at Battle City, I was still not fully in control of my memory. I had regained a section of my time as Pharaoh, and other scattered memories. Some included the failures of past owners of the puzzle to unlock its mysteries and their resulting decent into madness and chaos. Thankfully they all remained mortal and therefore did not reemerge seeking vengeance. Two such characters were enough for me to handle, no matter how seamless my performances were. It was impossible to describe just what a challenge it had been to stop both the thief and his maniacal companion during their tours of power. I maintained my attitude for Yugi's benefit. After all, a Pharaoh is meant to lead his people, not be led by them.  
  
Was it just my imagination, or were the passageways smaller?  
  
I looked around and was rewarded with a solid, if silent, yes from my surroundings. Where there had been a good half a meter of space between me and the ceiling, there was now only a few inches. If I stretched slightly, I could rest my hand on the cool stone. Odd... I narrowed my eyes and began looking for a reason to explain this sudden shrinkage. My search produced one plainly simple answer: sand. The floor was covered in enough sand to raise the walking level up.  
  
"How did this happen?" I crouched down to scoop up a handful. The warm grains slid like water through my fingers. I frowned. Sand such as this should not be warm. In fact, it felt as if it had just from the desert, close to noon. Impossible.  
  
//Aibou?// I reached out tentatively to Yugi's mind. He was still in school and I did not want to cause him to jump on the midst of his friends.  
  
/Huh? Oh, hi Yami/ His thoughts were accompanied by a warm mental smile. I could see a similar one forming on his lips even now... /Do you need something?/  
  
//...Yes. Check your soul room and tell me if anything is out of place.//  
  
/But it's the middle of class. It'll look really weird if I suddenly pass out and then perk up again./  
  
//Act as though you've dropped something. When you reach down to pick it up, lay your head on the desk and then check. No one should notice.//  
  
/Hey, that would work! Just a minute./  
  
As I waited for Yugi's answer, I began to walk up a set of stairs to the next level. Here, sand covered the floor as well, though not as much. It too was warm to the touch.  
  
/Finished. Nothing's out of place, though it could be a little neater. Anything wrong?/  
  
//No. I'm just trying to... work something out.//  
  
/Oh, okay. I'll talk to you after school, then./  
  
//Of course.//  
  
For the King of Games, this puzzle was proving to be difficult. I had thought it could be a result of the recent appearance of shadow realm monsters in the mind of the thief, but if it didn't extend to Yugi, then that wasn't a possibility. As to what else could possibly cause such a phenomenon, I hadn't a clue. Perhaps it was coming from one of my locked away memories.  
  
Ryou's POV  
  
In a sudden heave, my fiery prison spat me out, tumbling, into an emptiness so profound I could not orient myself beyond knowing that the sand was down. Or it was until I discovered I wasn't returning to its searing kiss. I coughed up sand and grit until it felt like I might cough up my lungs themselves. Even then, I still could not fill them with the sweet, cool air I felt around me. Was this some new punishment for a crime I couldn't remember?  
  
Little one, are you able to hear me?  
  
I tried to twist towards the sound of that voice. It was familiar, somehow. My savior? Could it really be possible that I was to be rescued from this place?  
  
Ryou? Please answer me  
  
My name...Ryou. I could remember now. I knew who I was and where I had come from. But there were other gaps which still nagged- why was I here?- and I fought back the surge of frustration which threatened to send me to tears. I coughed weakly in response and tried to find the owner of such an enchanting voice.  
  
Ah. There you are. Are you ready to leave this foul place of sand and darkness?  
  
I could only nod, still not able to find my own words to speak. Suddenly I could feel a soft embrace envelop me, as if I was being gently carried. The weariness that I had been fighting against seemed to press down even harder now.  
  
Tell me, do you still love the dark?  
  
At first I didn't understand what this meant. Then I guessed 'the dark' meant the place I had just been. How could anyone love a place like that? I shook my head firmly. A light laugh came from close to my ear. I shivered in spite of the raw, burning sensation that covered my body from the rubbing, burning sands far below.  
  
Good. Now, let's get you out of here   
  
With a sigh of utter content, I allowed myself to drift off into my own darkness- that of sleep. The last thing I could hear before completely submitting to the beckoning dark was the steady sound of wings flapping.  
  
No POV  
  
The bell rung at Domino high precisely when it did every afternoon at three thirty and the same front runners of students eagerly pushed their way through the halls to be out first. Yugi emerged among them, in a hurry to get back to the game shop and his grandfather. Within minutes the hordes had dissipated and only a few remained to casually take their leave. Malik was one of them, after being pushed to one side by a tall brunette that nearly wound up dancing around like a chicken, thanks to his rod.  
  
Ryou also exited the building later than usual. He walked with a slight stagger to his step, very peculiar for the normally composed, pristine image he portrayed each day. It also appeared that he was distracted, muttering things under his breath as he began to trek home. Not long into the walk Ryou broke out into a run and sprinted the rest of the distance.  
  
Inside, Ryou became a very different person.  
  
He flung aside his backpack and school texts while shrugging out of his jacket. These items were left strewn haphazardly across the floor as he walked. His target was more important; the bathroom should have guests.  
  
Rounding the corner, Ryou was rewarded with the sight of Bakura and Marik lying in crumpled heaps on the floor. He smiled without emotion- an eerie mix of satisfaction and contempt which negated the expression. Small pools of their blood had formed next to their still forms. Neither one appeared to be anything more than a corpse- they did not breathe. Their sightless eyes stared beyond even the empty space in front of them. Ryou stepped closer.  
  
He bent down to lightly touch the forehead of his yami. It was smoldering against the cool, pale skin of Ryou's fingers. Marik's flesh yielded the same burning sensation. If they were not already dead, they would be in the grip of a dangerous fever that could extinguish the flames of their lives the longer it raged. As it was, this sickness served to keep the two out of the way until Ryou's mission was complete.  
  
Or rather, the Change of Heart's mission.  
  
Inside the hikari of the ring, the creature of spun magic smirked. It would not be much longer now. All of the keys were within reach and all thanks to Ryou. His light was much easier to corrupt than the Pharaoh's young one, or even the tortured soul of the outsider Malik.  
  
Ryou's soul drifted in its own fevered sleep. He believed he was being punished because of someone else's misdeeds. True enough. Bakura was the one who would be taking the blame for this, if the white-haired hikari were to ever see him again. But this did not matter to the Change of Heart. Ryou had given up his belief, his kindness, his honesty, his soul, and now his heart to the swirling darkness of the realm beyond. These were they necessary tokens to unlock a gate between the two worlds of monster and master. The tide was turning in favor of the shadows. Ryou's face twisted into a smile hardly fitting for his gentle face.  
  
On the floor, Bakura lay motionless. Only a few fingers on his right hand twitched occasionally, letting the world know he was still fighting.  
  
---  
  
Twill: Yes! Chapter eleven is up and done! I'm very happy about it. A little shorter than usual, but not bad. Let me know what you thought of Yami. Also, who would you most like to see next? I'm leaning toward Bakura and Marik myself, but if I see a huge vote for someone else, I might just switch on over! Um, all that's left for me to say is R&R!!! 


	12. Desert Children: Oasis in Time

Twill: Hiya! Sorry it took so long for me to update. I have a bunch of excuses, but I'm sure you don't want to hear them. So, enjoy. And this intro is short because I have to get ready for work. Enjoy!

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Desert Children: Oasis in Time

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-No POV-

The Change of Heart smiled within its human shell. Through the use of the hikari's mind connection, it was able to see clearly what the dark spirit of the ring was up to, deep within his own fevered mind. Calling up old memories, the card beast recalled a time of ancient Pharaohs, especially one in particular…

The harsh desert sun rained down mercilessly on the open sands of Egypt. The land's people both cursed and revered the golden orb that burned in the clear sky each day. Ra, they whispered, could be both kind and brutal. It all depended on how they acted.

In a high-backed stone throne, adorned with gold and etched with the emblems of the mighty Sun Lord, sat a spiky-haired young man who wished to be anywhere but his present situation. A seemingly endless line of supplicants awaited his word – his mercy or punishment. Pharaoh Yami, however, would sooner have proclaimed them all blessed or damned in one go and be free to wander his great halls. Instead, he tried to listen to each story of how one man's neighbor had stolen his livestock, and his daughter, without so much as a word of thanks. And of course, the neighbor was saying the very same things…

"Seth, how much more of this is there?" Yami whispered as he feigned concern over yet another unfortunate soul.

The plume dressed priest glanced at a sheet of papyrus and shrugged slightly. "I would expect the rest of the day, my Pharaoh."

"Perfect," he muttered in response, nodding idly to some detail or another. Signaling his fan servant to pick up the pace, Yami leaned forward and tried to focus on what was being said. Unfortunately all he could see and hear was 'blah, blah, blah…'

-Bakura's POV-

It was an unnaturally clear day, causing the pale sand to glare with sunlight. I rubbed my eyes, frustrated, for the ninth time. Beside me, Marik kicked at the rough grass underfoot. We were waiting for Yami, and he was late. Again.

"You know, we should be used to it. But," Marik grinned, baring his teeth, "it really makes me mad."

I nodded quietly, staring again across the empty sands and dunes. Something didn't feel right. It was more than just Yami's absence. There was a feeling that seemed to hover over the oasis – an uneasy, almost nauseous feeling. I turned to say something to my friend when he perked up and pointed.

"There he is!" Sure enough, the Pharaoh was riding confidently towards us on the back of a chestnut mare. He waved casually has he approached and dismounted with ease.

"I apologize for being late. You should have seen the line!" He looked tired.

Grinning, I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him close to muss up his hair. Yami frowned with humor and fought out of my grip. Then he was attacked by Marik, who did the same and even managed to get his hands on the most precious thing the Pharaoh had. The Millennium Puzzle.

Even after almost a year of friendship, it was hard not to imagine taking such a powerful object. Yami refused to remove the corn from around his neck and was fiercely protective when anyone showed signs of getting his fingers too close. He would hardly even say anything about it. Malik often made jokes that Yami loved his puzzle more than any woman (or man) in his kingdom could ever hope for.

"Cut that out, Marik!" Yami swatted Marik's hands away sharply.

Chuckling, Marik made a mock bow and backed off. A comfortable silence fell.

We took up comfortable positions around the oasis, enjoying the shade and each others company. Yami complained of the boring people who bothered him daily, and listened as both Marik and I told of our recent adventures in thieving. It was a nice feeling, talking so freely with trustworthy friends. My eyes wandered back to the puzzle, dangling gold in the sun. What I could do with an item such as that…

"So what are we going to do for Bakura's birthday, Pharaoh?" Marik's voice cut through the silence and jarred my attention from the gleam of gold. I shot him a glare, which was of course ignored. "It has to be something really extravagant, so we can embarrass the pants off our loveable thief."

Yami at least had the grace to look uncertain. "As much as I would love to, the most I could really do is a present. Pharaohs and commoners don't mix, as they say."

For a moment, an expression of scorn marred Marik's features. Then, just as quickly, it was gone and his innocent smile was back in place. "Ah, of course. We wouldn't want your reputation to come into question would we?"

"I'd really rather prefer it that way, Marik. And Yami… you don't have to get me anything. Really." My birthday was always unpleasant. Marik insisted on being as annoying as possible which usually ended with both of us in trouble.

"It's no trouble. And, I suppose the least I can do for a good friend." Yami seemed uncomfortable, and I was reminded of when we'd first met. At least this time he didn't have the option of sending me off to death to relieve the tension. I smiled at him reassuringly, and he returned it.

"Then thank you in advance, Yami."

The fog of sleep would not be shaken off easily. Prying fingers poked and prodded me insistently as I tried to rub my eyes and shake myself awake. A soft voice, surprisingly close, whispered my name. It was Marik's. The fog was lifting.

"Come on, Bakura. Wake up already!"

Grumbling, I shoved him off. The sun was already up and beginning to penetrate my small hovel. Today was my birthday. I had hoped to sleep in, without an annoying best friend pinching me awake to go scrounging for some heel of bread or other.

"What?" The irritation was clear in my voice as I sat up, pushing disheveled hair out of my face. When I finally turned to Marik, there was something different in his expression. He seemed almost nervous.

"I have something… There's somewhere…You-I- Oh, just come with me!" He grabbed my hand in a strong, dry grip and tugged. I stumbled out the door after him.

For what must have been an hour we didn't speak. Marik was intently following a trail that I couldn't detect. He would stop suddenly in mid step, look around, press a hand to the ground, and then continue on. I was at a loss as to what he could possibly have to show me. The sun climbed higher in the sky, and still we walked without speaking. The town limits passed by as silently as our travel.

Finally, after another hour, I caught my friend by the shoulder and turned him to look at me. "Where are we going?"

A slow, wide grin spread out across his features. Something… unnatural glinted in his eyes. The expression I watched form on Marik's face seemed almost insane. He shrugged, half-heartedly. "Can't feel it yet, thief? Just wait. We're almost there."

He took my hand, still grinning, and took off at a run. I had little choice but to keep up. Over flat pans of sand and tall, powdery dunes Marik ran. Occasionally I would stumble and slide down the side of the dunes we were cresting. Marik would let go of me then, and wait for my fall to end. Then he would again seize my hand and we'd be off.

When he finally came to a stop, I was breathing hard and sweating heavily. We had long left any sign of town behind. Even our footprints, I imagined, had been wiped clean by desert winds behind us.

"Ah, it's covered… come on, Bakura. Help me dig." Marik knelt in the soft, warm sand and began to scoop out handfuls. I watched for a moment, thinking that my friend had perhaps lost his mind, and then bent beside him to help.

We uncovered a small passageway a half an hour later. The extent of sand blockage was little, thankfully. Marik rubbed his hands together and bade me to wait outside.

"You dragged me all the way out here and expect me to wait outside? I don't think so." I pushed past his tanned shoulders and stepped inside to cool darkness.

"Marik, what is this place?" I gazed around at the heavily inscribed walls, full of colorful murals and depictions of… something. There were scarcely any words along with the paintings, only a simple repetition of 'seven' and 'gold.' I traced lines of liquid gold flowing along the walls. This was not normal for a tomb…

"You'll see, and you'll be amazed!"

Strange monsters now joined the molten gold. Some were quite cute, little balls of fluff or strange insects with brightly colored wings. Others were majestic, human or animal figures striding downstream. And still others were horrific, grotesque beasts lurking in shadows, malice shining in their eyes. My pale fingers reached out to tentatively brush them all.

I had so many questions about what I was seeing. The images seemed familiar, and I almost knew what was waiting for me at the end of the twisting tunnel. And yet, I was lost as to what Marik had in store for me. My mind could not fathom what such a place as this could hold. I had never once seen a tomb or other burial chamber as decorated as this, yet without scriptures warding off thieves, providing blessings, and telling the history of the dead.

Ahead, the tunnel seemed to grow brighter. The gold along the walls and the monsters seemed to rush towards the glow. When we rounded the final corner and stood ourselves in the midst of warm light, I heard myself gasp in surprise.

In the middle of an enormous room was a large stone sarcophagus. Engraved deeply into the lid were spaces for seven shining gold items. One space, in the shape of a pyramid, was empty. Another, what appeared to be an ankh, also was void of its object. The others, however, still held their glittering treasures.

"Happy Birthday, Bakura." Marik clapped an arm around my shoulders. He gestured widely with the other toward the stone and gold before us. "You get first pick."

I walked wordlessly forward. These were the Millennium Items! Just as Yami possessed the Puzzle, I was about to select my own powerful piece. My choices were a scepter – a rod topped with a sphere and points, ancient eye gazing upwards – a glittering necklace, a small round ball with the millennium eye peering seemingly through time, a set of perfectly balance scales, and, lastly, a shining ring.

Each of these powerful objects called out to me, singing of magic and energy stored away within. Any of the items would have been a gift I could never repay. One, however, called out most strongly. The ring, humming in its niche within the stone sarcophagus, drew me toward it with a pull I would have gone mad to pull against. It slid easily from its place, into my hands, as cool as an evening wind upon the desert sand. The gold flashed briefly in my hands, already a familiar weight. With it came a cord, and I looped it around my neck carefully.

When I turned to regard Marik, he was pulling the rod from the stone lid. In his hands it looked right, like it belonged there, as if Marik had had it all his life. I grinned like an idiot and had the smile return. Now we both had items to call our own and no longer need look on Yami's with envy.

"You've had your fun, robbers, but now I think it's time you came with us to face Pharaoh's judgment for your crimes," a smooth, slightly accented voice shook us from our reverie.

We turned to find a contingent of royal guards blocking the entrance to the small chamber. The party was lead by a rough looking, blonde youth, seemingly not much other than Marik or myself. They bristled with weapons: long spears, swords, and small weapons such as slings and daggers. There was no way we could fight them off and hope to escape. Or live.

"Set down those gold treasures you have taken and step forward, slowly. We will escort you back to the city."

I fingered my ring, a desperate desire to keep it nearly sending me into panic. Next to me, Marik's grip on the rod tightened. We both knew there was no hope in battle, but even so we could not give up our items. Something had to be done.

Without thinking on it much, I started running forward toward the group. They tensed and readied their spears, obviously believing I was on a death course. As I approached, something seemed to build up within my body until finally, mere inches away from the closest spear points, it was unleashed and half the guards vanished in a black crackle of fog and energy. The space now clear in front of me, I ran past those remaining, into the passage beyond. Footsteps close behind suggested Marik had followed my lead.

We ran out into the familiar sands of the desert, bypassing more men who had remained outside to guard mounts and ensure we wouldn't break out, by some chance. Again the strange sensation built up within me until it broke free, taking guards with it. I was not about to question my fortune, instead hoping this strange power would continue until we were safely hidden away.

The remaining guards shouted at each other behind us, trying to make sense of the chaos we were leaving in our wake. A horse cantered past as we ran. I could feel the solid weight of the ring bumping against my chest, an almost reassuring feeling.

Soon the sounds of pursuit, or lack thereof, faded and we were swallowed by the desert. Marik and I both stopped to catch our breath, shooting each other triumphant smirks and grins as we panted. I fingered the warm gold sitting pleasantly against my skin and Marik hefted his rod to feel the weight. We had done it. We had Millennium items!

"We'd better go meet Yami. He'll want to give you your birthday present, too."

I laughed, loud and clear in the hot air of the desert. "It's going to be hard to top yours, Marik. Thank you." We shared a brief embrace. "To the Pharaoh, and whatever riches he may have waiting!"

--

The oasis was deadly silent when we arrived. The sun was barely beginning to set, the sand afire with red and orange. Yami was nowhere to be found which struck both Marik and I as odd. We were both late, having to trek across sand dunes, but Yami should have been here by now.

"Maybe he had some sort of pressing royal thing to do."

I nodded, considering the possibility. It wasn't terribly important to me that Yami wasn't around… At least, I didn't think it was. This was the first time I had a friend stand me up. But this was also the first time I'd had a Pharaoh as a friend.

I looked at Marik, suddenly worried. "What if he's searching for us, because we stole the items?" The ring no longer felt comfortable; instead, it had become heavy and cold.

"They won't find us, Bakura. Most of the guards are gone, and who will believe the few who remain? Besides, now that we have them," he lifted the rod and exposed a hidden dagger, "we can use them to defend ourselves."

Everything seemed darker than it had been a moment before. I shivered, hugging myself as the ring around my neck grew heavier. Marik, too, seemed darker, as if he was farther away. The dagger in his hand gleamed palely and then vanished, along with him.

"Marik?"

Wind began to blow, hurling peppering me with stinging sand and other debris from the desert. A strange, sickly sweet smell joined the sand. It was so hard to breathe… The ring was ice cold and still growing heavier. I was forced to take it off and hold it in my hands. The gold that had once seemed so warm and welcoming was now brittle and stony. I choked, finding the smell almost overpowering.

The wind and sand and stink kept blowing over me. The ring was growing heavier as each moment passed by. It slipped from my fingers, my body and mind no longer able to focus on holding it up. Upon the sand, it shattered, gold shards flying everywhere. I fell to my knees, screaming as a pain I had never felt before washed over my senses.

I blacked out, falling onto the broken ring.

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Twill: Read and review! Maybe this time I won't take so long to update ;


	13. Dragon of Gold: The Cost of Freedom

Twill: Well… I wouldn't say I updated super fast, but certainly faster than usual. I'm updating this one again instead of 'Wonderland' or 'Through the Glass Window'

Bakura: Like they care. Just get on with it.

Twill: Hush! - pokes him- Yami's POV makes a comeback in this chapter. I had a request and it worked nicely, so you get to go inside the Pharaoh's head again. Um, other than that, I guess I have nothing else to say! Enjoy!

Bakura: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its plots, characters, etc. She likes to think she does, but really doesn't.

---no thoughts in this chapter---

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Dragon of Gold: The Cost of Freedom

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-Malik's POV-

I definitely was not looking into a friendly face. Ra reached out his hands and took hold of each wrist. I was too dumbfounded to do anything. Just looking at him seemed to make me unable to move. I couldn't stop staring at his teeth.

"Hello, master." The last word was sneered. He obviously didn't see me in a commanding position anymore. "Fancy meeting you out here." Slowly, Ra pulled me closer. I offered very little resistance.

He took at long look at me before moving us both off the sidewalk. As we traveled, birds and other animals would suddenly fall silent, as if they knew what he was. I stumbled along beside him, wrists still trapped in his grip and rod completely useless. I could hear him breathing, deep, dry breaths.

When he finally stopped, it was in an alley. Forcefully Ra pushed me up against the back of a building and grinned.

"So, little Malik, what have you to say?" Both of my wrists were transferred to one of his hands, above my head. The other traced a pattern on my cheek.

I stared at him blankly, still unable to get over the teeth. "What do you mean?"

"You gave me away, sold me to some fool talking about destiny and hearts of monsters that haven't breathed the same air as humans in thousands of years. And I thought I was your favorite…" Ra drew away from, releasing me from his grip. A hand raised, and then I was sprawled on the rocky ground, face aflame with pain.

I reached up to touch the spot where he had hit me. Even the slightest touch made it throb in pain. My jaw felt strangely numb.

"How could I keep you? The Pharaoh was supposed to get you, helped me get away from the darkness…" I sat up and rested my back against the wall, looking up at him sullenly. How could my favorite card do this to me? Why was he so angry?

"Well, you didn't seem too upset to me. And I don't think you ever even thought about getting me back."

"The Pharaoh-"

"Isn't as all-mighty as he's led everyone to believe." Ra's smile grew bitter. "When has he ever given you a choice about what you can and cannot do? It's always his way or nothing. You either join him or he crushes your mind." As if to emphasize his point, Ra flexed the fingers on one hand. His golden eyes gazed into mine. "I thought you were better than that."

I struggled to my feet, bringing the rod to my chest in some gesture of defense. "He helps people. He helped me." If this was how my chosen card treated me, then I was beginning to feel good about giving him to the Pharaoh. "And as for you… you don't belong here."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I thrust the rod out in front of me and concentrated. I may not have had the power used to banish Ra from Bakura the first time, but I hoped I could simply send his new body to the Shadow Realm. I felt the build up of power and then something pushed me back against the wall and began to crush my throat. I opened my eyes.

Ra was holding me by my throat, shaking his head. "You don't get it. Your little toys have no power all alone anymore, not against me."

I clutched at his hand at my throat desperately, unable to breathe. Finally, I uncapped the hidden dagger in the rod and slashed at his arm. With a growl of pain and anger, Ra let go. Coughing, I desperately inhaled.

"That was not a smart move, Malik." Ra reached for me again, but I countered with the dagger. He was at least vulnerable to this.

I slashed at him wildly, managing to cut him several time. Each one seemed no more than a small scratch and enraged him even more. In the end, I was no match for his brute strength. He managed to slap the rod away, and dragged me up by the hair, cringing in pain.

"I know you've been admiring my teeth, Malik. Shall I show you what they can do, first hand?"

Ra leaned forward, slowly, licking his lips. Then, with a twisted grin, his teeth ripped into my right shoulder. The last thing I was aware of was his look of pleasure as I screamed.

-Bakura's POV-

My chest was burning, freezing, burning. It felt as if I had fallen on something sharp and it was lodged just below my heart, in the center of my torso. Burning, freezing, burning. I tried to move, tried to get it out, make it stop, but my arms wouldn't respond. I couldn't even feel them. Burning, freezing, burning.

Hot light broke into the darkness. The world spun before my eyes and I heard a far away moan of pain. The wall…I could see the wall. But it wouldn't stay still. It was spinning around, shimmering and twisting. Somewhere, my stomach gave a wrench and something hot passed through my lips. The pain in my chest grew more intense.

Gradually, the wall stopped spinning. I spent a long time, just staring at it. Nothing else was working. I could see and I could feel, a little, but everything else was dark and silent. What was going on? What had just happened?

As though happening to another body, I began to feel the smallest fingers of pain in my head. It throbbed distantly, in time to my heartbeat. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, I listened to my heart and stared at the wall. My chest didn't feel too bad anymore. But my headache was starting to get worse.

I tried to figure out why I was on the floor, pain flowing through every inch of me that I could feel. What had I been doing last? I could remember seeing Ryou. His eyes, though, seemed haunted. That wasn't Ryou. Who was it? Who dared to look like my hikari? Who are you!

Voices, the merest whispers of white noise, rumbled somewhere to my left, or straight ahead as I was on my left side. I wondered if I could move my eyes. They didn't seem to want to do anything but stare at the wall. The voices were beginning to separate and become clear. I didn't recognize one of them, a smooth talker. The other, was it Ryou? Was he here? I tried desperately to look, but nothing would move.

What else could I remember? After seeing not-Ryou, I had left with… with Marik. We talked, laughed, like always. It was comfortable with Marik. I never needed to watch what I said or explain myself. No one else made me that at ease. Except, perhaps, my hikari. After Marik, things became hazy. I vaguely remembered my house, no, Ryou's house, but something was wrong with it. And then I was falling and it was hard to breathe…

-Yami's POV-

The sand had continued to rise, making many of my memory passages cramped to navigate. And then, just as suddenly as it had all began, there had been no change in several hours. It would not go away, no matter what I tried, but it did not get any worse. Yugi's soul room, also, never suffered from a torrent of sand.

I had been navigating my mind, hoping to find the source of the mess. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Most doors remained locked, most passages darkened. Those hidden places that I had uncovered during Battle City offered no clue. I was beginning to feel frustrated.

Even though I sported the title of 'King of Games,' I felt I would be unable to solve this puzzle if nothing else happened. I also hoped I wouldn't have to share my mental space with several tons of desert.

Something shifted beneath my feet. I had just enough time to look down before the sand began to move, throwing me off my feet and into the rush. I was carried along with it, struggling to keep near the surface. My eyes stung but I forced them open, to see where I was being carried. The river of sand swept down until it rushed into a wall and vanished. And I was headed there.

I tried to find something to hold onto so that I wouldn't be swept into the void the sand was heading to. Nothing presented itself. Preparing for the worst, I readied myself to separate from Yugi into my own form. Just as I was about to rush through the opening, the movement stopped and I ended up hitting the very solid wall. The sand was gone and I had a very painful headache.

I stood slowly, rubbing my head where it had hit, resting a hand against the offending wall. It didn't feel any different than the other stone passages within my mind. I turned to look at it and was surprised to find the sennen eye staring back at me. I was confused. This would mean sennen magic was at work, but I had done nothing.

Who else possessed sennen magic and could enter my mind?

-Bakura's POV-

The voices were getting closer now. The smooth talker was saying something about light. It tasted good. They had another item. The rod. Who had the rod? Malik. Why were they talking about him? Ryou said something about Malik being hurt. Why did he sound so happy?

It stopped being hard to breathe after awhile. And then I was… where was I? Home? I was home. The desert, all golden and clear and hot, that was home. I was there, and Marik, and someone else. I couldn't remember who. We were talking, and that nice, comfortable feeling was there. And then… and then cold. Pain. Something happened. My chest began to hurt again.

Someone turned me over and my chest and head both protested. Things spun again, but not as long. I looked up at the ceiling now, and my hikari who was in the way. Ryou was smiling, but it wasn't the nice smile he usually has. His eyes… This wasn't Ryou. It was the other thing, the thing that looked like him. It was smiling, but seemed to be having trouble. Half of the smile was warm, the other wicked. My eyes closed.

Freezing, burning, freezing. Everything decided it wanted to hurt. I wanted to run, to scream, make it stop, but I couldn't. I couldn't save myself from the pain. I was trapped, trapped by the ring that held my soul. So long as that not-Ryou held my item, I couldn't do anything. I hated feeling useless, hated being unable to do anything. I couldn't save myself, couldn't save Marik who was somewhere nearby. I couldn't help Malik, wherever he was, hurt. But the thing that bothered me the most was that I couldn't save Ryou.

I wanted to. I wanted to reach out, beyond the pain, and banish the thing that wasn't him to the darkness. I was the darkness and I could destroy the thing when it got there. Then Ryou would be saved, and I would be free, and Marik and Malik would be fine. But my body wouldn't respond. It was like every limb was held down. The pain on my chest was holding me down. I needed to get out from under it.

It was time to stop feeling sorry for myself, wishing and wanting and whining. I was the all powerful spirit of the ring! I was going to collect all seven items and rule the world! And most of all, I was going to beat the damn Pharaoh and laugh in his face!

Struggling, I twisted back and forth. I didn't care about the pain, the burning and freezing, anymore. I loved pain, thrived on it. I would use it to my advantage; use it to push me forward harder. My eyes opened again and saw the world clearly. No spinning, no false hikari, just the house that was mine. I could look around at the wall from earlier and the one on the other side of the hall. My shoulders began to move.

I jerked and yanked against the weight that held me down. My fingers began to tingle, then twitch, then clench themselves into fists. I was not going to be held down by something as pathetic as ropes or whatever held me. My arms were mine again. I pushed up, pushed against the thing on my chest. It strained for a moment, and then gave way. The weight slid to the side and I was free. Only then did I realize what I had been fighting.

Beside me sat the ring. It no longer appeared as golden and magnificent as it usually did. It seemed lifeless, just the carbon copy that it really was. What was even stranger was that it was no longer hanging from my neck. The cord was broken and the ring was completely separated from my person. But I was still here. I was still fully formed and functioning. It shouldn't be possible, but it was.

I reached for the ring, and it shattered.

-Malik's POV-

I woke to find myself in Ryou's living room, thrown carelessly on the sofa. My shoulder was sending small stabbing pains shooting through my right arm and I gritted my teeth. I definitely was not going to stare at Ra's mouth again.

Someone had bound the bite carelessly with old bandages. Small rusty smudges were present even in places where my injury wouldn't bleed out. I wondered who's blood was on these. And then I remembered Ryou. This was probably his, though how fresh was another question.

I could hear talking coming from the next room. It sounded like Ra and Ryou, discussing some sort of plan. Yami had warned us that Ryou was not himself, and this seemed to confirm it. I tried to sit up and had to fight back a yelp of pain. My shoulder was worse off than I had thought.

Ra must have heard my gasp for he suddenly appeared in the door. When his eyes met mine, he flashed a feral grin. "Hello, master."

"Hi." I couldn't keep the sarcasm from my voice. He had sounded like I should be thrilled to see him.

Ryou's head poked in and he, too, smiled at me. But something was off. The smile wasn't quite uniform on his features. I watched wearily as they both stepped fully into the room.

"I'm very glad you could come and visit me," Ryou whispered, eerie smile still marring his normally cheerful features.

"Like I had a choice. What do you want from me?"

Ryou tilted his head slightly, and drew a blade from his pocket. It most likely belonged to Bakura, unless Ryou was using kitchen cutlery as weaponry. The smile suddenly became even, twisted and dark.

"I want you to bleed."

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Twill: Oooh, Ryou's all evil. – shivers – It's kind of cool. Anyway, I want to see if anyone can figure out why the sennen eye was in Yami's soul room and/or where the sand came from. The first person to get it will be written into the story!

Bakura: Read and review so she'll update faster


	14. Circle of Shadows: The Gate Unveiled

Twill: I must apologize. This chapter isn't quite as long as the others but it covers a lot of ground and really kicks things off. More so, I mean, than all the other stuff that's happened so far. If you know what I mean…

Bakura: You're babbling.

Twill: At any rate, here it is. I hope that it's still good despite its shortness. Enjoy!

Bakura: Twill does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its plots, characters, etc. She likes to think she does, but really doesn't.

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Circle of Shadows: The Gate Unveiled

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-Malik's POV-

I stared in silent horror as Ryou and Ra drew closer. My eyes never left the small sliver of silver in Ryou's hand. This was all too familiar, too real, and too painful. The dancing knife slowly getting closer…

My father slowly getting closer, ready to carve the family secret deeply into my back…

Ra's cold strength held me down as I thrashed to get away. The pain in my shoulder was nothing now, numb and distant. I had to get away. I had to run. It didn't matter anymore, this whole damn conspiracy to take over the world. So long as that knife didn't get any closer then I'd look the other way. Please, please don't…

"Unpleasant memories?" Ryou giggled softly, peeking over Ra's shoulder. He tilted his head to the side and sighed. "It would be easier if you didn't fight."

Like hell it would.

"I'm your friend, Malik. Don't you trust me?" I pushed back against the couch as far as it would give. Ra chuckled but I couldn't hear it. The knife was the only thing I was aware of, the only thing I cared about.

"You're nothing but some twisted monster pretending to be him."

"No. I'm Ryou Bakura. I've just decided to stop letting myself get pushed around. The monster's telling me how to do that." Slowly, painfully slow, Ryou brought the knife down to my wrist, held firmly in place by Ra. My fingers twitched as they tried to get away from the cold, steel death.

In one smooth motion, Ryou cut my wrist and I screamed. Blood instantly welled in the cut and began to spill over. The knife descended on my other hand and soon both wrists bled. This was it. I was going to die. Ryou pulled off my shoes and socks next. I tried to kick him but he merely stepped back with a smile. Then Ra was on me and it was getting harder to think. Both of my feet burned, now. I watch the red streaming from my wrists.

The dragon heaved me off the couch and then let go. I crumpled to the floor without any strength to resist. There was pain everywhere. My wrists, feet, shoulder, head. Was the room spinning or was I just imagining it? I felt someone move me, spread my red limbs so that I was spread-eagled, face up on the thick carpet of Ryou's living room.

Lazily a prickling sensation crawled its way up my legs. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Why wasn't I unconscious yet? Ra watched me smugly and Ryou had disappeared. No, wait, he was there. He had something in his hands which he was quietly placing around my red circle. Something brushed my fingers, toes, but I was sure I was just imagining it. Ryou smiled softly at me as he placed something carefully on my head, lying against my hair. And a sixth something was put where my stomach was but I couldn't feel it. I was numb.

"You're my best friend, Malik. Without you, I would never have opened the gate." I tried to move my head, tried to look at where Ryou was talking. It didn't work that way. I was tired.

So I fell asleep.

-Bakura's POV-

I didn't waste my time staring at the broken ring or wondering why I was still able to exist. Especially when I heard the scream. Crouching, I had peered around the hall corner into the living room wondering what was happening. To say I wasn't prepared for what I saw was an understatement. Ryou was laying into Malik with a knife. My knife.

He carefully slit both wrists and then removed Malik's shoes to slice the soles of both feet. Someone else, someone not quite human, moved him roughly to the floor. Malik wasn't supposed to look this pale. Blood was everywhere. For once, my stomach turned at the sight of it. My hikari, my kind, gentle hikari, arranged Malik so that he was spread across the carpet like a carcass to butcher. Malik moaned and his eyes rolled back in his head.

Then, carefully, Ryou arranged six black feathers around Malik; one at each hand and foot, one at his head and one in the center of his body. The display was a sick pentacle. As Ryou stepped back, shadow magic began to stir. Along the edges of my vision, dark fog was rolling in. It was exactly like when any sennen item possessor went to the Shadow Realm, only I knew Ryou wasn't using the ring. He didn't know how. Then again, he shouldn't know how to do what he was doing to Malik, either.

When Malik finally lost consciousness, I withdrew my head. There was no way I could get in there and save him. Not with both Ryou and the other there, and with obvious shadow magic in play. But I could save Marik, and I could save myself. Carefully, so as to make no sounds, I pulled Marik up off the floor and began sneaking out the back.

It was my specialty, after all.

-Yami's POV-

The call from Bakura just as Yugi was sitting down to dinner with his grandfather was unexpected. I hadn't even known the thief knew the number for the game shop, let alone would willingly call. And he wanted help, of all things. Though I could tell he was gritting his teeth the entire time, forcing himself for once in his life to be civil. It was about time.

"I know you're smirking, Pharaoh, but make sure you're listening, too. We are in serious trouble. Marik is hurt or something, and I need help getting him to you. Malik's… He might be dead."

The last admission pushed all amusement from my mind. "What did you do to him you-"

"Oh, for the love of everything sacred and shiny! Shut up! Just shut up. Get your royal goddamned ass down here and be the freaking hero you always are. When Marik's out of danger, then you can yell at me. I'll even take it. Just shut up and help." The phone went dead. I slammed down the receiver on my end.

"I heard that." Startled, I turned to find Yugi staring at me from the doorway of his room. "Bakura isn't acting like himself."

I scowled, grabbing my deck and pushing past him. Yugi followed me as I stormed down to the front of the shop. "It's probably a trap." That's what I was telling myself. It had to be a trap. Malik couldn't be dead. Bakura was just being the bastard he is.

"Then where are you going?" Yugi disappeared, checking into his soul room. I slammed open the door and took off down the street.

Out. I was going out.

--

When I reached the point Bakura had growled over the phone, I was surprised yet again. It was the mall. Three blocks north, six east, across from some fruity ice cream store or something that was pink. The mall. Bakura hated the mall, if what Ryou said was to be believed. It was too public, too crowded. And he wasn't allowed to steal anything.

They were inside in the middle of the food court. Bakura looked like he wanted to kill everything that moved. Marik was snuggled up against him, head propped against the thief's shoulder. It looked like Marik was either telling Bakura some sort of secret or licking his ear. I stared at him.

"About time…" Bakura's voice was so low and primal I almost didn't realize he had said anything.

"I didn't know you two were together." I smirked at them.

/Yami…/

Bakura carefully slid Marik off of his shoulder and propped him up in the chair. Marik's head lolled to one side. And then Bakura was on me, hands wrapped tightly around my throat.

Only with the help of three 'good-Samaritans' was I able to get Bakura off. He retreated, glaring death, to Marik. I recovered my missing breath and stood, brushing myself off.

"We're friends, Pharaoh. But I expect you don't understand the meaning of the word." Bakura picked up Marik and looked expectantly at me. "Well? We'd better get going before… We'd better go." He walked past.

/Yami, that wasn't nice. Marik is obviously really hurt. And maybe Malik really is…/

/I refuse to accept that. But I concede that Bakura was telling the truth, for once/

We stepped back outside to a world where the sun apparently no longer existed. Dark clouds had rolled in while I was busy dealing with Bakura. The air was calm. Something was wrong.

"Call Kaiba. Get a car here. We can't go back to your dorky game shop anymore." Bakura wore an expression I had never seen.

Worry.

-Bakura's POV-

The only thing that told me Marik was still as alive as he could be was his occasional soft moans or jerking. He was still trapped in the memory world, progressing further than was probably best for him. I certainly hoped it would end before the sealing of the items.

I was still troubled by what had happened back in Egypt. The memories I had hidden from myself, the fact that Yami hadn't always been a hated enemy… I was feeling a bit sick. Things had been so different and then everything fell apart as Yami grew into the Pharaoh, and Marik and I crossed one line too many. Was it all really worth it?

I pushed everything away for later. I was just fine as myself, seeking the items and questing to rule the world. Yami didn't remember, so why should I bother wasting a second thought on it? There were more pressing matters at hand. Kaiba was taking a long time.

"You'd think a rich boy would have faster cars." I narrowed my eyes, looking for any sign of a limo or blue eyes white dragon themed vechile. Really, his decorating and architectural style needed help.

"It wasn't exactly easy getting him to cooperate."

"I told you I should've been the one to call."

The Pharaoh rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. I shifted Marik in my arms, growling in frustration. Everyone was entirely too calm about my pronouncement of Malik's peril and what my hikari was doing! When I, Bakura, was the one worried about the fate of the world something was seriously wrong.

Finally, a limo pulled up. The driver helped the Pharaoh in and backed off as I glared at him. Inside sat the pompous CEO and... the dog? The blonde grinned sheepishly and opened his mouth to explain. He was cut off, however, by the trench coat king.

"Explain exactly what is going on."

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Twill: There you are. I'm happy because I can introduce Seto and Jou into the plot a little more and have more POVs. Maybe things won't be so totally focused on Ryou and Bakura either.

Bakura: I think that's what the readers like. Reading about me.

Twill: Well, if he's right let me know. Review away, and sorry for the long wait between updates!


	15. Star of Sirius: The Guard Steps Forward

1Twill: Well, I've waited long enough to update this. I'm a tiny bit sad that no one reviewed the last chapter. Where has everyone gone? Hopefully this one will generate a response. It's only two POV's, and there may be a little oocness. I'm just not used to writing anyone other than Ryou or Bakura.

Bakura: Twill doesn't own Yugioh. If she did, she wouldn't have to worry about her university tuition.

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Star of Sirius: The Guard Steps Forward

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-Jou's POV-

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence in the limo. Bakura glared at Seto, who glared at Yami, who glared at Bakura. I was thankful that none of their piercing gazes rested on me. The shock at finding me, sitting happily next to the ellusive CEO of Kaiba Corp. had been enough.

As they played their foolish games of superiority, I watched the sky darken outside as we raced endlessly through Domino. The sun was practically disappearing in the face of unnatural clouds that moved too quickly and hung too low. This was something bad. It reminded me all too closely of the appearance of Shadow monsters during the time when Atlantis attempted to be reborn.

"Yami, really, what's happening?" I met his eyes levelly. He had counted on me in the past for such battles. If this was another thing that had to do with evil and taking over the world, he could count on me again.

Bakura snorted. "The Pharaoh doesn't have a clue." Carefully, he moved Marik so that the other spirit was propped up against the limo door. "Hell, I saw it happen and I don't even believe it." His eyes flicked momentarily to Yami and then narrowed once more into a glare. "You should've gotten here faster, Kaiba."

Seto rolled his eyes. "I don't cater to the likes of you, thief. You're lucky I'm here at all." He crossed his arms firmly, giving off the impression that he didn't care. To me, he was just as frustrated as everyone else. "If you know so much, then why don't you explain to me why I had to rush to your rescue?"

"Ryou opened up a gate to the Shadow Realm," said Bakura bluntly. We all blinked. "He used Malik... he might've even killed him." For once, Bakura was as quiet as his hikari. He refused to meet anyone's eyes. "I barely got out of there alive myself."

Yami was stunned. "Ryou opened a gate? But how would he know how to do that! I can't even remember, outside of a duel..."

Seto scoffed. "Not everything revolves around you. Ryou's obviously a lot smarter than any of you thought."

I nodded. "Well, he's definitely good in school. Maybe he found out some stuff about the items on his own, wanting to learn more." I shrugged. "I'd wanna know more if I had a yami. Heck, I wanna know more anyway, seeing as I know three."

Bakura shook his head. "Ryou's smart, but I don't think he would've done that. At least, not without asking me first." He still wasn't meeting anyone's eyes. "He's possessed, and the monster responsible for that is the one who knew how to connect the two worlds."

"Like that Ra thing earlier?" The twisted face of human Ra wasn't an image I'd be soon forgetting. Both spirits nodded and then turned their heads sharply to Marik, who groaned loudly.

He covered his face with both hands, bending over as if he was going to be sick. Beside me, Seto stiffened but said nothing. After a few minutes, Marik straightened and turned to look out the window at the gathering darkness. His eyes were slightly hollow and he looked as if he hadn't slept in several days. He refused to say anything.

Finally, after prodding Marik for the seventh time, Bakura rounded on me. "So what's up with you? I thought you hated the rich boy, and he hated you." I tried desperately to stop the blush I felt heating up my face.

"It's none of your damn business," growled the brunette beside me, turning up his glare.

I ran a hand through my hair, taking a deep breath. "We got over it."

"Obviously."

"What the mutt means is he came banging at my door, shouting nonsense about how he deserved respect and that he wanted to challenge me to a duel to prove his worth. I, naturally, refused." I was tempted to wipe the smug look off of Seto's face. "He argued, I countered expertly, and finally-"

"We kissed and made up," I cut in. It was Seto's turn to blush. I grinned self consciously. "Or something like that, anyway." I crossed my arms to mirror Seto. "Make fun all you want. I'll beat you up and then Seto'll sue you."

There was another long stretch of silence. Bakura didn't seem remotely interested, Marik was unchanged, and Yami just seemed stunned. The puzzle glowed and Yugi appeared. "Good for you, Jou," he said, smiling. My grin widened.

"Thanks, Yugi."

-Bakura's POV-

All this lovey dovey nonsense was disgusting. "Can we move on or do you two need to make out and get it out of your system?" When there was no response, only embarrassed silence, I continued. "In case none of this has sunk in what with the world coming to an end out side, but we've got problems. Why am I the only one who seems to care that Malik might be dead and that Ryou is the one responsible for this?"

"We care, Bakura.But you said yourself that he's possessed. So Ryou really isn't in control of his own actions. And Marik seems... okay. Malik's probably still alive." Jou, grudgingly, had a point. Perhaps I needed to move on.

"The question is, what do we do about this? Naturally, the gate has to be closed. To do this, we need to defeat Ra and confront whatever is in Ryou." The Pharaoh appeared deep in thought. Was he even considering the rest of us or did he think that everything would be done by him? I couldn't believe I had ever been friends with someone so egotistical.

Yugi simply ignored him. "I think we should rescue Malik first. If he was as badly hurt as Bakura suggests, he could still die." He sighed. "The only thing is, how do we do that? If he's near the gate, then he'll probably be watched or guarded."

"By Ra," I murmured, reflecting on the scene I had been witness to. "I wouldn't be surprised if they could detect magic or spiritual energy, too. They homed in on Ryou and Malik pretty quickly." Not to mention knew how to subdue Marik and myself.

"I'll do it." The mutt was looking hard out the window, having just come to his decision. "I don't have any magic, and I bet they wouldn't expect me. They'd probably figure Marik or Bakura to go in." He looked between me and Marik, who was still silent.

The CEO was instantly on alert. "No. It's their problem, so they should deal with it."

Yami, on the other hand, seemed to accept Jou's application as volunteer. "For it to work, there would have to be a distraction. Ryou and Ra need to be lured out first, then Jou can slip in and grab Malik." He paused, considering. "I'll have to summon monsters directly from the Shadow Realm."

"But Yami, nothing can threaten Ra," Yugi pointed out helpfully

He shook his head. "If you remember, there are two other god cards. I'm just not sure I can summon them in time for this to work."'

"Then use another distraction." Kaiba's expression was one that clearly said he thought us stupid for not coming to this conclusion ourselves. "If I attack with my Blue Eyes' I can buy you some time."

Seto Kaiba was volunteering to help save the world? We must be desperate.

"I'll summon for you," I said, ignoring the surprised glances from pretty much everyone. "Well, unless you've magically uncovered an eighth item and learned to use it, you'll need someone to manifest your lovely dragons, won't you?" Kaiba nodded and we had a plan. He signaled his driver. We were now headed back to the place I'd just escaped from.

--

We stopped several blocks away from Ryou's house, to prevent them from sensing us too soon. The dog hugged Kaiba briefly - I nearly lost my lunch - and then scurried off to wait for our distractions to get underway. Yami pulled Seto aside to talk strategy, much to the CEO's disgust, and I took the opportunity to corner Marik.

"You haven't suffered brain damage or anything, have you?"

He shook his head. "I remembered a lot of stuff. You probably did, too." I nodded. "It's just hard taking it all in." He was quiet for a moment. "I know it doesn't seem like I care what happens to Malik but..." Marik struggled for words, "he's mine. He's my hikari, you know? I can't not care about him."

"I bet no one ever imagined you saying something like that." I pulled a half smile, which he returned.

"Not in a million years." Marik paused. "You don't have the ring anymore." He poked my chest for effect.

In the sequence of events that had followed waking up, I had forgotten about it. "It broke when I came out of the coma." I frowned. How was I still able to be walking around?

Marik was thinking the same thing. "How does that work? Shouldn't you disappear back into the real ring or something?" He pulled out his own carbon copy of the rod and looked it over. "Are you going to be able to conjure for Kaiba?"

I shrugged. "I think I still have a connection to the ring. It's mine after all. I can still sense you, the real rod, and the Pharaoh's hikari. Hell, even the Pharaoh, if I care to think about it and I don't." Said royal idiot was still constructing elaborate plans that the CEO didn't seem to be paying attention to.

"Weird." Marik tucked away his rod. "Do you think this might be important?"

Who knew? "Could be," was all I said.

"Then, I think I should go talk to Isis. She might know more about what's going on and you won't need me for this distraction thing." He poked my chest again. "But if anyone screws up, I'm blaming you. You saved me, so save Malik."

"The mutt's the one who needs the pep talk, not me."

"You're the one making sure he doesn't get caught." He smirked darkly, a throwback to his days of megalomania. "Don't screw it up, Bakura."

I rolled my eyes. "Think about who you're talking to."

"I am." He clapped me on the shoulder and then strode toward the Pharaoh's little conference group, presumably to ask for the limo. I shot a glare at him, though there really wasn't anything behind it. I planned to make sure everything went as well as it could.

-Jou's POV-

A small part of me wonder why I was creeping through bushes to rescue someone who had, not that long ago, been trying to take over the world. I reasoned with it, saying that Malik had changed and this would go towards saving the world instead. Still, I had to admit, it was a little strange.

I was across the street from Ryou's house, holding a small dog in a neighbor's yard to keep it quiet. The gathering darkness was thickest here. I was finding it harder and harder to make out the front steps. What was taking Seto and the others so long? It wasn't this hard to summon monsters with the gate wide open, was it? Just as I was beginning to give up hope, there was an echoing roar.

The roar of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

I would've cheered if it wouldn't give away my position and tip Ryou off to what we were planning. Quietly, I dropped the dog, slipped through the fence and across the street. There was no movement inside that I could see, which wasn't much. I waited a few seconds, then carefully opened the front door. Bakura had said he'd left it unlocked as we drove to his hikari's, and Ryou apparently hadn't bothered to lock it again.

The house was silent. Ra and Ryou had taken the bait, and were out dealing with Seto's dragons. I hoped nothing would go wrong. Stealthfully I crept toward the living room, banging my knee on a table and yelping in pain. _Smooth, Jou. It's a good thing no one's home_, I thought to myself.

Nervously, afraid of what I'd find, I poked my head around the corner. Malik was still lying sprawled on the carpet, unconcious, and surrounded by a pool of his own blood. I could just barely see the rise and fall of his chest indicating shallow breaths. His wrists and feet were also bound tightly with bright white gauze. The image was bazaar and horrifying at the same time. I moved toward him.

"Stop where you are," said a voice behind me. A second later, something cold and sharp rested against my neck. I turned my head slightly to see what it was. A sword.

I was captured at sword point.

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Twill: Can anyone think why Jounouchi's been captured by someone wielding a sword? But more importantly, will Malik be saved? Will Ra be defeated? Tune in next chapter for all these answers and more in Hearts Change! And be sure to review! If you want some pov's or have any suggestions, I'd like to know!


	16. Taking a Deep Breath: The Point of

Twill: So, um, hi. It's been a long time, hasn't it? What with school, new fandoms, and sort of losing interest in the YGO universe after Battle City finished, this story has fallen to the bottom of my 'things to write list.' I apologize. This is by no means a promise that I'll be updating furiously, but it's a start towards completing things.

Bakura: Twill doesn't own.

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Taking a Deep Breath: The Point of No Return

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-Bakura's POV-

I bent double and tried to force air into my lungs. Summoning three dragons, real as life, was a lot harder than I seemed to remember, and I didn't have my carbon ring to help the flow of shadow magic. It almost seemed like _I_ was acting as the conduit, which was a strange feeling to say the least. As the burning in my chest subsided, I straightened and watched the sky light up with the flash of white lightening. I'd say one thing about all of this: Kaiba was very good at directing his monsters.

"Attack again, now!" he shouted, tall figure stiff and straight. He pointed grandly toward the dim shape of what must have been Ra. The ground was scorched around him, but the twisted creature was unharmed. Hardly fair, considering.

As the three Blue Eyes' united their blasts, I felt a slight wrenching in my gut. "Hey," I said, poking the CEO, "use those attacks sparingly. It takes effort on my part, you know."

Kaiba spared me a withering glance, although it wasn't up to its usual power. "You should eat more vegetables," he replied simply. "I bet Yami wouldn't have a problem." He tried to smirk, but the grin only managed to show how worried he was underneath all the bluster. "And speaking of the Pharaoh," the CEO turned to the huddled shape of the resident King of Games. "What's taking so long?"

"I can't decide." He looked up briefly from his deck and then down again. "Should it be Slypher or Obelisk?"

Seto and I stared at him. "_WHAT?"_ we both screamed.

Yugi cringed beside the spirit. "Well," he said, trying to sound reasonable, "which god card do you suggest? Obviously we're open to ideas."

There was barely a heartbeat and then Kaiba was in charge. "Obey Bakura," he shouted at his dragons, turning to shoot me a look that was obviously meant to convey that I was in charge of the distraction, now. He moved to Yami's side in three quick strides, snatching the cards from his grasp. "Obviously, you summon Obelisk. Slypher depends on cards in hand, and this is hardly a dueling situation."

_Not to mention_, I thought to myself, _it's more fitting for Jou to be saved by your former monster_.

The tall brunette sorted through Yami's deck as quickly as he could, cursing mildly to himself when a few cards slipped from his fingers to drift lazily to the ground. The Pharaoh, for his part, seemed about to make some snide report but Yugi stomped on his foot, hard. I could almost smirk at that. If only the situation had been different.

A high keen of pain from one of the Blue Eyes jerked my attention back to the epic battle taking place in the middle of a nice, suburban neighborhood. What were the neighbors thinking, anyway? Assuming, of course, they all hadn't died of fright the instant Seto had set his prized beasts on the attack. I hastily collected my thoughts.

A dark shape had latched itself onto the middle Blue Eyes' neck, a shape I could only believe was Ra. The dragon was thrashing wildly, bellowing in pain and outrage. For a moment, I could only be thankful that Shadow Monsters didn't appear to have blood. I don't think any of us could've dealt with that.

"You're losing, you know," came Ra's taunt from his high perch. He was deftly avoiding the other two dragon's attempts to help their comrade. "You can't beat a god card with three measly lizards."

I heard Seto growl behind me. "Shut up," he murmured, probably as much to Ra as to Yami, who hadn't yet started to take the situation seriously.

I frowned at the twinge in my chest as Ra continued to dig himself in. There was the hint of a release behind the strange feeling, the suggestion that if the Blue Eyes was destroyed then the stress on me would vanish as well. I gritted my teeth against temptation and reached into my own deep pockets. Who said two decks were the only ones that were going to see any action?

_"No one messes with the Electric Lizard."_

My fingers froze. Well, damn. I ran the risk of summoning a tainted monster that could just as likely backstab the whole plan as help it. In fact, we all did. There was no way to tell which monsters were on our side, if any of them were. After seeing the Pharaoh's Celtic Guardian cross to the 'dark side' it was easy to believe anything was possible. But there was at least one…

Dark Necrofear appeared with a wrench that left me feeling as though I'd run a mile across the desert without a break. I found myself on my knees before I knew it and couldn't help cringe at appearing weak. This wasn't the time to worry about such things, not when so much was at stake. Old habits died hard, it seemed.

I pointed a steady hand at the three squirming dragons. "Get Ra off of them!" I shouted. "_Now_."

The fiend nodded in its eerily silent way before floating up to do as it was bid. In the circumstances of a duel, I could never have summoned it without the aid of other cards. Seeing as this was a special situation, and I didn't really care that the winded feeling wasn't going away, at all, I figured why not bypass all the annoying complicated stuff? And save Kaiba's precious dragons in the process, whatever. If only I could see through the black spots.

Wait.

-Jou's POV-

There was a muffled bellow from what had to be Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragons and I cringed. Of course, there was my own situation to think about. The cool metal of the sword rested heavily on my shoulder and as much as I wanted to turn my head and look at the owner, the fear of accidentally sending my head tumbling across the carpet kept me pretty rigid. I wasn't exactly helped by the sight of Malik, either.

So instead of dwelling on the negative, I forced myself to consider something else. The voice. What monster, with a sword, would have a voice like that? My thoughts immediately turned to my favorite card, Flame Swordsman, and I felt the blood drain from my cheeks. Wouldn't that be perfect? Ironic, even.

Since when did I know the meaning of 'ironic'?

"Look," I said, my voice amazingly steady, "your master, Ryou – whatever! – is being attacked outside. I know Ra is Ra and everything, but aren't you worried that maybe a stray shot might wing him and suddenly you're up the creek without a paddle?" I raised my hands slowly, into the surrendering position you always see on television. "What harm am I gonna do, huh?"

The monster shifted and I could feel the movement through the vibration of the sword. "You're in too deep to swim, Jou."

There it was again, the familiar tone like I'd heard something similar before. Okay, yes, duel monsters didn't go around talking every day but they did have those guttural battle cries when summoned to the field. And it knew my _name_! I wasn't sure if I should be excited – because I _had_ to know whoever it was now – or worried, since there might be a monster or two out there that resented my fantastic dueling skills.

"Um, right," I said. "Only we're not at a swimming pool."

My eyes unconsciously found their way to Malik again. He might as well be swimming, considering how dark the carpet around him seemed to be. How could he keep breathing after all of this? Not that I was complaining, no. I would be very happy if he continued breathing for a long, long time.

I took half a step forward, and the steel pressed closer. "I just want to see him," I said.

"He's as good as dead, you know. Once the life bleeds out of him the gate will be open forever, and he'll be gone into a darkness no yami can penetrate." The voice was calm, almost light. Just for that I wanted to punch him – for it was a 'he' – hard enough for him to wonder what had happened.

But still, I'd learned something. So long as Malik was alive, the gate could be closed. The world could be saved. Everything could sort itself out and return to something resembling a happy ending. But only if the rod's hikari kept breathing, kept fighting.

Damnit, I felt so helpless!

I felt the impact before I heard the jarring thump, the roar of pain and finally, the pressing, mournful silence. A dragon had been killed, finally. Ra had to be getting serious. And what about Ryou, in all of this? Was he standing on his doorstep watching, maybe rubbing his hands together as whatever possessed vision moved slowly closer toward completion? Or was he trapped in his own mind, helplessly witnessing the world he always saw the best of crumble a little more toward oblivion?

Okay, that was it. No more coward Jou. I used to be a bully, didn't I? I had vowed my friends over and over that I'd be there for them whenever they needed me, right? No one needed me more right now than Ryou and Malik. Sure, I wished I could be standing outside, an army of monsters at my beck and call facing down a humanized god card, hoping to tip the cosmic balance in favor of the side of good, but we all had our roles. Tonight, I was going to play rescuer to the two hikari's damsel in distress. I set my jaw.

I pretended to look towards a window, maybe hoping I could see what was going on although I could hear just fine that we were losing. Slowly, but still losing. Then, I turned away from the cold blade and ducked down. I went for the legs of my captor savagely. Oddly enough, it was the boots that finally tipped me off to his identity. Seeing his face only confirmed it.

Celtic Guardian's face twisted in a sneer as he tried to bring his sword back up and into play. I grabbed his wrist and jerked the arm away, using my free hand to smash a fist into his face as hard as I could. The monster grunted in pain, his head jerking back, but he continued reaching for me, struggling.

I'm not sure what snapped or what went through my head when I made the decision, but only one option seemed like it would end our battle and leave me free to help Malik without having to worry about being attacked from behind. I tightened my hold on his sword hand and managed to wrench the weapon away from Celtic Guardian. It was heavy in my hand.

"I'm sorry," I said through gritted teeth.

-Marik's POV-

I had said I was going to see Isis. I had claimed that Bakura's functioning without his copy of the ring could be a key to winning, a key to saving everyone. I had said a lot of things, really, but not one of them was true except that the thief had damn well better do his best. Really, though, I was scared.

Malik was dying, I could feel it. His thread of life, the sort of warm presence that always hovered at the back of my mind, was fading and it wouldn't be long before it disappeared completely. I wasn't used to worrying.

The cell phone in my hand was trembling. I flipped it open and hit a button that my hikari had assured me would instantly connect me with his sister. I listened to it ring in the darkness, the shrill sound lonely, empty. It stopped after the third ring.

_"Malik?_" Isis' voice was warm and strong. _"What's up?_"

"It's Marik. Malik's… not doing very well."

"_But he's not dead_." Her conviction was so strong that I felt a nudge of renewed confidence. He wasn't dead. At least, not yet.

I sucked in a deep breath through my teeth. "I thought you should know what's happening. Bakura and the others are here, trying to get to him. I didn't know what to do, so I thought maybe I'd fill you in." I wanted to laugh at myself. When did I start to worry this much?

"_Thank you."_ She paused. _"Just be strong for him, Marik, if nothing else. Keep him alive."_

"Okay." My voice sounded impossibly small.

Isis let out a shaky sigh. _"Marik?_" I grunted. _"Do whatever it takes._"

_Do whatever it takes_, the words echoed. _Do whatever it takes_.

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Twill: I hope Jou and Marik aren't too ooc, or Bakura for that matter but I'm not too worried about him. A lot of people guessed the Flame Swordsman as Jou's attacker, and as you can see, I threw in a different sort of twist. You must remember that he was all evil when Bakura was wandering around the Shadow Realm.

Jou: Why did I notice his boots?

Twill: I'm not sure, but you did. And I'm sure your next actions are nice and obvious, right reviewers? Anyway, I'm going to be thrust back into Yu-Gi-Oh! soon, so I thought I'd get back into things by returning to this fic. I spent some time reviewing where I intended to go with this, and got myself straightened out. Hopefully, I'll come back sooner than later but please understand I have quite a lot going on right now, and it might be difficult.

Jou: Of course, reviews are always a good reminder and motivator.

Twill: I'd also like to thank The Wingless Raven for poking and prodding me until eventually I tumbled back to this fandom, and for reviewing. She did me the favor of advertising my fic, and I'd like to return the gesture. Check out her story _Love As Pure As Snow_ if you like twists, angst, and a writing style that continues to grow.

Next chapter: Marik acts on Isis' advice, Ryou appears, and Ra's a little less cocky.


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